Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout will now begin in mid- to late February. Vaccination will commence with workers dealing with international arrivals or quarantine facilities, frontline health workers and those living in aged care or with a disability.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government “optimistically” aims to vaccinate 80,000 Australians a week, and four million by the end of March.

This is the first time Victoria has recorded zero daily cases since 29 December last year. The number of active cases in Victoria is now 38 including 28 locally acquired cases which is no change since yesterday and 10 cases in hotel quarantine, a decrease of three in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases linked to the Black Rock Restaurant cluster remains at 27. Yesterday’s reported positive case in a man aged in his 30s has now been genomically linked to the Northern Beaches outbreak. The source of acquisition for this case is still unknown and under investigation.

One of these new cases is a man aged in his 30s who has no current links to the Black Rock Restaurant Cluster. A number of possible acquisition sources are being investigated. The other two positive cases are in returned international travelers who are in hotel quarantine. One is a woman aged in her 20s and the other is a woman aged in her 40s.