Victoria has set another COVID-19 record, with the number of new daily cases jumping by more than 1300 to 5137.
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Another 13 people in the state have died with the virus, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The number of active Victorian coronavirus cases has grown to 23,833 and 81,093 people were tested in the latest 24-hour period.
On Wednesday the state recorded 3767 new cases and had 19,994 active cases.
There are 55 people with the virus in intensive care, with 395 in hospital and a seven-day hospitalisation average of 378.
However, there are fewer people on ventilators - 23 on Thursday, down from 28 on Wednesday and 33 on Tuesday.
Victoria's COVID testing ability continues to struggle under the strain of the caseload, with multiple testing sites again closing because they reached capacity by early Thursday morning.
National cabinet, including Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is meeting on Thursday to discuss a uniform definition of a close contact of an infected person and the use of rapid antigen tests to ease some of the testing burden.
The pandemic's ongoing impact on freight, logistics and workplaces' ability to train staff also means the City of Melbourne has cancelled its drone swarm at Docklands as part of its New Year's Eve celebrations, but other entertainment is going ahead.
But in general, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said people are starting to return to the CBD after six lockdowns.
"We've been really encouraged by the pedestrian numbers that we've seen certainly in the lead-up to Christmas," she told reporters.
"Our best Saturday we're at 96 per cent of pre-COVID foot traffic which is really fantastic, it's that sense of Melbourne being back to normal.
"The Boxing Day sales, the foot traffic in the city on average was 80 per cent of pre-COVID levels, same day comparison, which again we think is really a testament to people enjoying everything that the city has to offer."
Australian Associated Press
