Two years since Ballarat and Warrnambool recorded their first COVID-19 cases, festivals like Port Fairy are back as cases rise across Australia with a more infectious Omicron sub-variant BA.2.
Two years ago, the regional cities recorded their first positive COVID-19 cases.
Since the initial diagnoses, Ballarat has recorded 16,744 total COVID-19 cases, while Warrnambool recorded 4,835.
Ballarat's total case count was one of the highest in regional Victoria, followed by the Greater Bendigo region with 15,613.
Today Ballarat recorded 107 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the active case count to 883. Warrnambool recorded 61 new cases totalling 275 active cases.
The pandemic has led to losses, business closures, staffing losses, a metro "exodus" to regional areas, and many other changes in two years.
Federation University Immunologist Dr Stuart Berzins said the most important discovery since the first Australian diagnosis of COVID-19 included how deadly the virus could be.
"While things are looking a lot better now … I think there is going to be some long-term impacts as a community," Dr Berzins said.
Dr Berzins said it was vital to continue recording each case of COVID-19 across Australia as an "insurance policy".
"It does mean we have an early-warning system … if cases start to rise quite quickly, if there is a new variant that arises…" he added.
Dr Berzins added it was impossible to predict the next two years of the pandemic.
"The question for Australia is if a new variant is going to emerge that is perhaps more severe in terms of the symptoms it causes," he explained.
"There's kind of wishful thinking that as a pandemic goes on the infection gets less severe… and that is true in some instances… but it's not a rule…
Since Victoria began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in February 2021, over 14.5 million total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.
More than 90 per cent of people in Warrnambool and Ballarat have received two doses, but many are yet to receive full protection from a third dose.
State health statistics show a range in Ballarat of between 55 to 85 per cent of people have now received three doses, and between 55 and 80 per cent of people living in Warrnambool have been triple vaccinated.
Warrnambool's Mayor Richard Ziegeler has announced today that he has stepped down from the mayoral position but will stay on as councillor.
He added the past two years of the pandemic has "in many ways… brought out the best of people's characters".
"I think that we have to be very aware that people are still hurting," Mr Ziegeler said.
Mayor Ziegeler added he was pleased life was beginning to see some semblance of pre-COVID-19 times. Last week the nearby Port Fairy festival sold-out with 10,000 attendees. He said more events were on their way.
"We can have some enormous events … last weekend we had 800 lifesavers down here… we had lawn bowls championships.
Deputy mayor Debbie Arnott will serve as acting mayor until a new council leader can be elected within the next month.
