As Victorian authorities flag that the state is entering a new COVID-19 wave, an epidemiologist says it's important now to pay extra attention to potential symptoms of the virus.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton's Friday briefing stated there were 8,537 cases in the past week, an increase of almost 25 per cent since the week before.
It comes as the Victorian opposition hit out at the federal government for cutting the state's health funding.
The seven-day rolling average for the number of Victorians in hospital with COVID was 172 on Friday — a 20.3 per cent increase from the week prior.
"These indicators show we are at the start of another COVID-19 wave," Mr Sutton said.
Based on wastewater testing, he said Omicron sub-variants BQ.1 and XBB now made up 10 per cent of total cases in the state and were set to overtake BA.5 as the dominant variant.
Mr Sutton said these variants were spreading rapidly overseas and were effective at evading immunity from previous infection and vaccination.
Of the 1,100 deaths recorded in the past three months, 49 per cent had not received three doses of the vaccine.
Epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said in Singapore and France, the waves caused by the new sub-variants were shorter and had led to lower hospitalisation numbers than previous waves.
She said the uptick in Victoria's cases was only in its first week and it might not become a "fully-fledged wave", but it paid to monitor closely for symptoms.
"If you have symptoms, it is more likely to be COVID now, unlike in winter where it could be the flu or could be a cold," she said.
Dr Bennett said people should consider how they can reduce their risk of catching the virus.
"This isn't about saying: 'Oh no, now you have to panic again'," she said.
"This is about how we ride these waves in a way that allows us to moderate our behaviour appropriately."
She said that may involve wearing masks on transport and socialising outdoors, particularly around vulnerable people.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday that Victoria would continue to see COVID waves.
"We've going to see COVID numbers go up and down — whether it's a wave or whether it's a spike, I'll leave that for others to determine," Mr Andrews said.
"This era of COVID exceptionalism has to end and it has. National Cabinet has made those decisions."
Opposition criticises federal cut to health funding
On Saturday, the Victorian opposition criticised the Albanese government for cutting the state's hospital funding in the budget.
At the height of the pandemic, the federal government agreed to provide 50 per cent of states and territories' hospital funding — up from the usual 45 per cent — until the end of the year.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Commonwealth's decision was coming at the completely wrong time.
"I'm really stunned that the federal Labor government has ripped $1.4 billion out of Victoria's health system at a time when we need health systems being invested in," he said.
"The state government said they would have no funding issues if we got a change in government federally. Suddenly we've lost one-and-a-half billion dollars out of health.
"That's why I'm going to reprioritise money from the Suburban Rail Loop and put it all into health."
Mr Andrews said both he and New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet shared the view that health funding should be split equally between federal and state governments.
"It's not a Labor/Liberal thing, I think all governments across the country — state and territory governments — are keen for a 50/50 partnership," Mr Andrews said.
The funding arrangements are not due for renegotiation until 2025.
Mr Andrews said that while his government would fight for new funding arrangements, the extension until the end of 2022 already represented a success.
"My view is that the funding needed to be extended. It was, until the end of this calendar year," he said.
"I don't much care who is in power in Canberra — I will always fight for more funding for Victoria.
"If Mr Morrison had been re-elected, then this funding would not be ending at the end of December, it would have ended months ago."
