How the summer of Omicron hit Warrnambool, but Warrnambool hit back

Despite a large COVID cluster in the middle of tourist season, Warrnambool has survived the Omicron wave largely unscathed. (ABC South West Victoria: Emily Bissland)

For the whole of 2021, the seaside Victorian city of Warrnambool (pop. about 35,000) had just 125 cases of COVID-19. Then the Omicron variant hit. 

According to state government data, there were 125 cases recorded in Warrnambool in the first five days of 2022.

In the first 44 days of 2022, there were 3,766 cases of COVID-19 recorded in the city, an average of 85.6 positive cases per day.

The Omicron wave in Warrnambool peaked at a daily high of 257 cases on January 8.

A cluster in the worst place at the worst time

Barwon South West public health unit director Professor Eugene Athan said the peak centred around Warrnambool's Midfield Meats abattoir, which employs about 1,000 people.

"It's fairly clear cut that a big proportion of cases in relation to Warrnambool were from one particular workplace —  the meatworks — and that resulted in cases in the community," Professor Athan said.

But even with the city's largest employer at the cluster's centre coupled with the usual summer tourist influx, and followed by the return to school, Warrnambool's case numbers and rate of infection have steadily dropped.

Warrnambool is a tourist hot-spot over summer. (Supplied )

A 'success story'

Last week, the daily average number of cases was 37.3, down from 63.6 the week before that, and 93.3 three weeks ago. 

Warrnambool also has the lowest "reff" rate, or effective reproduction rate, in the state, with each COVID case only creating 0.6 other cases.

Professor Athan says Warrnambool is "a real success story", thanks to a combination of people following isolation requirements and getting vaccinated.

Warrnambool was one of the first local government areas in Victoria to reach 95 per cent for double dose vaccination for people aged 16 and over.

The city is sitting at 63 per cent for triple vaccinations, and a 62-per-cent vaccination rate for children aged five to 11 - both of which are among the highest in the state.

"It's a combination of stopping transmission by people staying at home when they're COVID-positive, and secondarily, the vaccine itself prevents transmission once people have had their third dose, so those two things together have resulted in a slow down in transmission."

Warrnambool has "rallied" in the face of the pandemic, Professor Eugene Athan says. (ABC South West Victoria: Matt Neal)

Hospitalisations low

Even though the spread means approximately 11 per cent of Warrnambool residents have now had COVID-19, that hasn't transferred into high hospital rates.

Since January 10, only 51 people have been admitted to the Warrnambool Base Hospital with COVID-19 and there has been only one death from the virus.

"Warrnambool's been a stand-out," Professor Athan said.