Vic posts 5611 COVID cases, three deaths

Ambulances outside St Vincent hospital in Melbourne (file image)
Delays continue to plague Ambulance Victoria, with reports a man waited six hours for help. -AAP Image

Victoria has recorded another 5611 COVID-19 cases and three deaths, as ambulance delays continue and the state welcomes its first international tourists.

The new infections include 4104 from rapid antigen tests and 1507 from PCR lab tests, the health department said on Monday.

There are 45,278 active cases in Victoria, down more than 1400 from Sunday.

A total of 361 patients are in hospital with COVID-19, three more than the previous day, with 49 in ICU and 11 requiring ventilation.

More than 55 per cent of adults in the state have received three vaccine doses.

The latest figures come as delays continue to plague Ambulance Victoria.

A 74-year-old Rowville man collapsed from severe COVID symptoms on January 30 and waited almost six hours for paramedics to arrive, the Herald Sun reported.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said it would reach out to the family to understand their concerns and will review the case to help better understand what happened and why.

"Ambulance Victoria takes very seriously our commitment to providing the very best care for every patient," she said.

AAP has contacted the state government for a response.

Meanwhile, Victoria welcomed its first international tourists in two years as a flight from Singapore landed at Melbourne Airport about 8:30am on Monday. 

Flights from Phuket, Auckland, Delhi, Doha, London, Dubai and Tokyo are due to land throughout the day.

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the arrivals marked a "critical turning point for aviation".

"International airlines are already responding positively to the border changes, with a number looking to resume or increase flights to Melbourne," she said.

She called for the federal government to scrap all pre-departure testing requirements for fully-vaccinated international arrivals, to ensure the travel experience is "as simple and stress-free as possible".

The arrivals also signal the first day of operation for the state's new $200 million COVID-19 quarantine hub, which will welcome its first cohort of unvaccinated international travellers on Monday.

The complex has trained about 560 staff with an open-air design intended to eliminate many of the challenges posed by hotel quarantine.

Able to accommodate up to 1000 residents, its standalone cabins allow for constant fresh air flow, individual ventilation systems and CCTV monitoring.

The hub's cabin-style accommodation, which is split into four villages, includes entry and exit points via outdoor decks to prevent virus spread along shared corridors.