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There are 257 people in the state’s hospitals with COVID-19, 58 of whom are in ICU, and 37 people on ventilators. A woman in her 50s from Wyndham, a man in his 70s from Wyndham and a man in his 80s from Darebin all died after contracting the virus. Victoria recorded 628 new local cases of COVID-19 today, its highest daily total in more than a year, and three deaths.James Merlino addresses the media on Wednesday.
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You can follow the separate live coverage of the protests here. The Age has previously reported that senior union sources estimated 80 to 90 per cent of the protesters on Monday were construction workers, before the numbers dropped on Tuesday and Wednesday. While the union has said only a minority of protesters are union members and the crowds include far-right extremists, the exact composition of the crowd is difficult to ascertain. The Melbourne offices of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union have been targeted during the days of protests, despite the fact the CFMEU did not support the vaccination mandate (but is pro-vaccination).A third officer was in hospital for observation after suffering chest pains. Two police officers sustained head injuries from bottles being thrown at them. Police estimated about 300 protesters were at the war memorial, and 20 to 30 per cent of them had received infringement notices so far. The protests in the city, now in a third day, appear to have been triggered by the Andrews government’s move to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for the construction industry, but participants also appear to oppose lockdowns. Victorian riot police used tear gas and fired non-lethal rounds at protesters in Melbourne this afternoon to disperse them from the Shrine of Remembrance.