Victoria records 19 Covid cases, NSW outbreak grows by 111 Victoria records 19 Covid cases, NSW outbreak grows by 111 Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 1:46PM Almost half of Australia's population is under lockdown as health authorities in Victoria race to contain a new outbreak and NSW struggles to get its own under control. Victoria recorded 19 new community cases of Covid-19 overnight, all linked to current clusters, bringing the state's total active cases to 54. Victorian health authorities have warned the public over the possibility of fleeting transmission, announcing more than 165 new exposure sites. Burnet Institute epidemiologist Professor Michael Toole remained optimistic Melbourne could squash the latest spike, but warned the wide spread of the latest cases could mean an outbreak had already begun making its way across the city.