Victoria has hit a grim new record in its reemergent battle with COVID-19, recording 484 cases of the disease in just 24 hours.
This tally of new cases sees it topple its previous record of 428 coronavirus cases in a single day, set last Friday.
In a press conference earlier on Wednesday, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the figures, which saw the total number of COVID-19 cases in Victoria rise to 6739.
It follows the state reporting 374 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday.
Melbourne and the adjacent Mitchell Shire will move into the third week of a six-week lockdown on Thursday, but case numbers continue to skyrocket.
Speaking after Tuesday's statewide COVID-19 update, Andrews said it was challenging to draw too much from the data, but was confident the lockdown was having an effect on case numbers.
"You'd like to see numbers coming down," he said.
"At the end of the day, though, we're not seeing the doubling and doubling again so what that says to me - is the sorts of measures we've put in place are having a direct impact."
From midnight on Wednesday, all those living in the lockdown area will be required to wear a face covering or risk an AU$200 fine.
Last week, Australian scientists developed a 10-point plan to bolster Victoria's chances of eliminating COVID-19.
The plan included steps such as closing all schools, creating a COVID-19 advisory group and requiring all essential workers to wear masks.
