The new Covid cases are in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
The new Covid cases are in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
The number of coronavirus cases detected in Melbourne has risen to four, after health authorities uncovered two "likely" positive infections earlier on Monday.
The four new cases are two men, a woman and a preschool-aged child who are all relatives from Whittlesea and live across two households.
The first case was symptomatic from May 20.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley urged Melburnians not to be complacent after the first two cases were uncovered.
"We all have our role to play here, to step up," he said on Friday. "This is not a time to be complacent."
The department said a full investigation was underway into the results, and initial public health actions were being put in place while all individuals isolated.
Media statement: two likely positive cases of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
The latest cases come after Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton issued a warning on Friday about a 'worrying' situation in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Traces of Covid were last Thursday picked up in wastewater in the Epping and Wollert areas, almost three weeks after the city reported a positive case from a man who flew in from India.
The man, who lives in Wollert, caught coronavirus while carrying out hotel quarantine in South Australia before flying to Melbourne.
In light of the wastewater results contact tracers reviewed the man's movements.
This led to them realising they had missed Woolworths Epping North supermarket as an exposure site.
It is located at the corner of Epping Road and Lyndarum Drive and the man went there from 5.40pm to 6.38pm on May 8.
The original exposure site was Woolworths Epping, at the corner of Cooper and High Streets, which is adjacent to other exposure sites.
On Friday Professor Sutton warned anyone experiencing symptoms to get tested.
"This detection is of note because there are public exposure sites in the area relating to the Wollert case, who has been isolating in a health hotel outside the catchment," he said.
"Out of an abundance of caution, anyone who has been to any exposure sites has to get tested and isolate."
Dozens of locations have been listed as public exposure sites since the positive case was first reported on May 11.
While the sites were mainly concentrated to Epping and Altona North, Melbourne's CBD and the Southern Cross and Craigieburn train stations were listed as high risk.
But revelations that came to light late on Friday found contact tracers had missed a vital virus exposure site.
Professor Sutton said there had been an 'error' in pinpointing Woolworths in Epping North as an exposure site.
The new Covid cases are in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
"We are encouraging anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 – fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, and loss or change in sense of smell or taste – to get tested," he said.
"While the detections may be due to someone who has had Covid-19 that is no longer infectious continuing to shed the virus, it is also possible that it is due to an active but undiagnosed infectious case."
