Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests to be handed out for free in January

There will be 34 million of the test kits delivered to be "distributed widely" at the start of 2022 Health Minister Martin Foley said on Wednesday.

In his announcement, Minister Foley said the tests would help maintain the "gold standard" of testing in Victoria, and took a swipe at the federal government for not stepping up to "fill the gap."

"The plan is very much to get them freely available and widely available," Mr Foley said.

The state has recorded an extra 3767 COVID-19 cases in another large spike in daily case numbers.

It came after the state recorded a large spike in case numbers the day before with 2738 found - a rise of more than 700 on Sunday.

Case numbers have now more than doubled since Christmas Day.

On Tuesday, there were five deaths.

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A total of 397 are in hospital, 62 in intensive care units and 28 on ventilators.

Health workers have conducted 75,132 tests and administered 535 vaccine doses.

There are now close to 20,000 active COVID-19 cases across Victoria

As of January 4 the third COVID-19 vaccination interval will be brought forward from five months to four, seeing an extra million Victorians eligible for a booster.

From January 10 the pediatric vaccine will be rolled out for five to 11-year-olds, when around 578,000 young Victorians become eligible.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a national cabinet meeting tomorrow as COVID cases skyrocket around Australia.