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 the state premier expressed hope it was the start of a downward trend.

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

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said "trends are not made in one day" but that he hoped the decline continued.

The 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 had hoped for better results.

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

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

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

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

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

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