Victoria announced 357 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and a further five deaths, as the state continues to battle a second wave of infections.
The deaths were women aged in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and a man in his 80s, Premier Daniel Andrews said. They take the state toll to 61 and the national figure to 145.
Mr Andrews said 37 of the new cases were from known outbreaks, while 320 were under investigation.
The premier refused to rule out further restrictions but pointed to masks being the current strategy to stop the spread.
"Masks are effectively our Stage 4," he said. "If they are worn by everybody, we may not need to go further. We can't rule out going further with rule changes, but it's a big game changer."
Active cases have reached almost 4,000, with 313 of those healthcare workers.
Chief medical officer Brett Sutton said the state’s case numbers “have remained stubbornly high”.
“[They] haven't gone up significantly, haven't gone down significantly in the past week," he said.
"There is no magic bullet here. There is nothing that will all of a sudden see numbers hit zero in the next couple of weeks.
"This will have quite a tail even if we see numbers start to drop in the next week or two. It's not going to be something that suddenly disappears in a way that wave one did."
It comes after the state , and it was announced Australian Defence Force personnel would be deployed to ensure new cases were complying with public health restrictions.
Prof Sutton said one ADF officer contracted the virus while supporting testing in Craigieburn despite wearing personal protective equipment.
"It's another pointer to the fact that even those medically-trained individuals using PPE ... can be at risk," he said. "It speaks to the absolute infectiousness of this virus."
There are currently 229 Victorians in hospital with COVID-19, with 42 in intensive care.
Aged care response centre
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth and Victorian governments have established an aged care response centre to assist with the growing crisis in the sector, which has been severely hit by the second wave of coronavirus.
There are now over 500 infections in aged care facilities across Victoria, evenly split between health workers and residents.
The new Victorian aged care response centre will assist with workforce provisions, the prevention of outbreaks and support for providers.
"That is a very important step forward in helping to coordinate, helping to ensure rapid response where these cases are occurring," federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Saturday.
Staff shortages are a problem in Victoria as workers are required to self-isolate while awaiting test results, and only allowed to work at one site.
Federal Labor Senator Katy Gallagher said the impact of the COVID-19 on aged care homes has highlighted the fragility of insecure work in the sector.
"Working week-to-week, that's presented some real challenges in keeping workers safe, and the people they care for," Senator Gallagher told the ABC.
Additional reporting by AAP.
Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are subject to stay-at-home orders and can only leave home for essential work, study, exercise or care responsibilities. It is also mandatory to wear masks in public.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
