Spike in Australia's COVID-19 cases "not a second wave": health authority

Australian authorities have denied that the nation is in the midst of a "second wave" of COVID-19 despite an outbreak of pandemic in the state of Victoria.

The Australian government's Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMillan on Monday said that the spike in cases was "a community outbreak in one part of the city" and praised authorities for their handling of the recent outbreaks.

"I have heard, and we are hearing, a suggestion that we are seeing in Victoria, a second wave," she said in an update on COVID-19.

"I want to reassure all Australians that while we are very concerned about what we see in Victoria, what we have is a community outbreak in one part of the city, in one state of the country."

As of Monday afternoon, there had been 7,767 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia and the number of new cases in last 24 hours stands at 85, according to McMillan.

Of the new cases, 75 are in Victoria.

"But this is very serious and we all need to take note, as we have warned that this pandemic is not over," said McMillan.

The Victorian government on Sunday announced that COVID-19 testing for returned travellers in hotel quarantine will be made mandatory.

(CGTN)