COVID-19 Australia: Epidemiology Report 27: Fortnightly reporting period ending 11 October 2020

Abstract

Nationally, there was a continuing downward trend in notifications of COVID-19. The daily average number of cases for this reporting period was 14 compared to an average of 23 cases per day in the previous fortnight. There were 192 cases of COVID-19 and 23 deaths this fortnight, bringing the cumulative case count to 27,344 and 898 deaths. While the majority of cases in this reporting period were from Victoria (60%; 116/192), there continues to be a decrease in cases in this state resulting from public health interventions. During this fortnight, 66% (127/192) of all cases were reported as locally acquired, with the majority reported from Victoria (108/127). The highest proportion of overseas-acquired cases was reported in New South Wales (75%; 38/51), followed by Western Australia (22%; 11/51). Although testing rates declined, they remain high overall at 9.2 tests per week per 1,000 persons. There was variability in the testing rate by jurisdiction, with testing rates depending on the epidemic context. The overall positivity rate for the reporting period was 0.05%, with Victoria reporting a positivity rate of 0.08% for this reporting period. In all other jurisdictions the positivity rate was ≤ 0.06%.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; Australia; COVID-19; acute respiratory disease; coronavirus disease 2019; epidemiology; novel coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2.