Victoria records 12,157 cases, 34 Covid deaths

Thursday’s figures show there are now 752 infected people in Victorian hospitals, down from 768 on Wednesday, with 82 people in intensive care and 29 on ventilators.

Victoria’s pre-Omicron peak for Covid hospitalisations was 851 in October when the state was battling a surge in Delta infections.

However, that figure is dwarfed by the 2578 people in NSW who are currently in hospital with Covid.

Thursday’s case update comes amid speculation the elective surgery ban could be lifted as soon as next week after a statewide “code brown” was declared last month.

The potential change was revealed in a letter to doctors from Ramsay Health state manager Austin Willis that detailed that services could increase to 50 per cent of capacity levels.

“We expect to receive formal confirmation of this change by the end of this week and will immediately advise you once this is received so bookings can recommence,” he wrote.

“With surgical restrictions in various forms now in place for four months since the start of October, we understand that this is a challenging and frustrating time for you and in particular for our patients whose much-needed care continues to be delayed.

“We remain hopeful that through ongoing advocacy with our partners, this date can be brought forward and a clear road map provided to remove all ongoing restrictions.”

Premier Daniel Andrews detailed potential changes in Tuesday’s Covid update but refused to confirm when any amendments would be made.

Meanwhile, more than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated, with 41 per cent of adults now having been boosted.

The state has 66,648 active cases, down from 73,886 the previous day, continuing a gradual downward trend.

A total of 5588 PCR tests were taken on Wednesday and 15,920 vaccines were administered at state hubs.

Originally published as Victoria records 12,157 cases, 34 Covid deaths