Australia: Victoria state records lowest virus cases in 9 days

Australia's hard-hit state of Victoria recorded its lowest daily tally of coronavirus cases in nine days while state premier expressed hope it was start of a downward trend.

Victoria reported 295 new cases and nine deaths, seven of which were in d care homes that are bearing brunt of COVID-19 pandemic.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said "trends are t me in one day" but that he hoped decline continued.

outbreak has been concentrated in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, which is halfway through a six-week lockdown.

But Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he h hoped for better results.

He said numbers of community transmissions, in which sources of infection were unkwn, remained relatively stable.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said situation in d care facilities is distressing.

"Where re is sustained community transmission, it is inevitable that this will find its way into d care facilities," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

For most people, new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But virus is highly contagious and can be spre by those with mild or visible symptoms.

For some, especially older ults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could le to death.