Victoria has recorded 25,527 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a significant drop from the 34,836 new cases recorded yesterday.
A further 23 deaths of people with the virus has been recorded today.
The number of Victorians in hospital with the virus has passed 1000 overnight, with 1054 cases now hospitalised, up from 976 yesterday.
Of those 115 are in intensive care, with 30 requiring ventilation.
There are a total of 227,105 known active cases of the virus in the state.
https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1482115752320958465When asked if today's COVID-19 case number was reflective of infections in the community, Victoria's COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar said the state was "a long way from seeing any sort of stable trend" with daily case numbers.
Rent relief for businesses
Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford has announced an extension of the state government's Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme
It will be extended to March 15 to provide further financial relief and security for thousands of small businesses with an annual turnover of $10 million or less and which have suffered a decline in turnover of at least 30 per cent due to COVID-19.
Landlords will be required to provide continued proportional rent relief in line with a reduction in turnover while the freeze on rent increases and eviction moratorium will continue.
Ms Pulford further urged Victorians to continue to support small businesses.
READ MORE: Djokovic being interviewed by Border Force ahead of weekend legal battle
https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1482115752320958465Meanwhile, New South Wales has reported another 48,768 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, a substantial decline from yesterday's 63,018.
To deal with the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalisation in Victoria, Acting Health Minister James Merlino yesterday announced two Melbourne quarantine hotels will be converted to medihotels.
Mr Merlino said COVID-19 patients who needed less complex care would be taken from hospital to the medihotels.
"All patients will be medically assessed by the hospital before transfer," he said.
The first patients will be transferred to the medihotels from Monday.
The medihotels will have capacity to provide care for over 300 patients at a time in partnership with Northern Health and Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The Pullman Melbourne on Swanston Street and the Mantra Epping will be used as the medihotels.
