Victoria has recorded 34 more COVID-19 deaths, as the number of people in hospital after contracting the virus has fallen slightly to 851.
Of those patients, 106 are in intensive care units, and 30 are on a ventilator.
There were 11,311 new cases reported yesterday.
Health Minister Martin Foley said 13 of the reported deaths occurred over the past two days, while the rest occurred previously and were reported yesterday.
Of the new cases, 7,060 were detected by rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 4,251 by PCR test results.
That brings the total number of official active cases to 72,710, down from the 76,335 reported a day earlier.
More than 39 per cent of adult Victorians have had a vaccine booster dose.
About 45 per cent of children aged between five and 11 have had a first shot of a paediatric vaccine, meaning a large portion of primary school students are not inoculated as schools go back this week.
The Victorian government is launching an initiative to encourage children from disadvantaged communities to get vaccinated.
From February 12, vulnerable children will be invited to have their vaccinations at venues such as Scienceworks, Melbourne Museum, and Legoland.
"We're here today to make sure it's as easy as possible, particularly for kids in that five-to-11-year age bracket, to get their vaccination," Mr Foley said.
"It's a fun and enjoyable way for those kids who we know find it hard, given other measures of disadvantage and lack of access to services, to have support to get these important vaccinations."
Need for hospital Code Brown questioned
Victoria's Opposition has questioned the need for the Code Brown declared across major hospitals, after the Chief Health Officer revealed he believed the state has passed the peak of COVID-19 hospitalisations.
Brett Sutton yesterday told parliament's new Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee he believed the number of people in hospital had "probably already peaked".
It means the state is tracking better than authorities had earlier feared.
"There are tens of thousands of Victorians who are waiting for their surgery [who] are desperate to have that essential surgery," Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier told ABC Radio Melbourne.
The Code Brown was declared in mid-January over fears the hospital system would be overwhelmed and was due to be in place for at least four weeks.
That declaration allows for surgeries to be cancelled and for staff to be redeployed or brought back from leave.
New South Wales has announced some elective surgeries will resume across the state.
Mr Foley defended the Code Brown, saying it had played a "real, important role" in reducing strain on the hospital system.
He said it would remain in place, even though the state appeared to have passed the peak of COVID-19 hospitalisations.
"Yes, it would appear that the peak has been passed," Mr Foley said.
"We hope that the trends will continue on, every indication is that that is the case, but the system-wide stresses on our hospital networks still should not be underestimated."
He said the cancellation of elective surgeries was continually under review.
Meanwhile, a new Productivity Commission report has revealed that Victoria spends less on public hospital patients than any other state.
The Commission's annual report on government services shows Victorian public hospitals received less than $2,700 per person in recurrent expenditure from 2019 to 2020, compared to the national average of almost $3,000.
That report also shows Victorian public hospitals have just 2.3 beds available for 1,000 people, which is the lowest of all the states.
Mr Foley said the state spent much more money on community care and hospital in the home programs, and highlighted recent government spending on the health system.
"When you look at the totality of health investment in Victoria, we have a world-class system," he said.
"[We're] always capable of doing more, which is why this government is investing record levels in services, people and infrastructure."
Omicron hits Melbourne CBD recovery
A report commissioned by the City of Melbourne has found the emergence of the Omicron variant has severely affected businesses in Melbourne's CBD.
Businesses appeared to be bouncing back during the December quarter, but a "shadow lockdown" emerged after Omicron began spreading through the community.
The City of Melbourne's report found that three quarters of businesses in the CBD were struggling financially due to a fall in foot traffic, staff shortages and disruptions to supply chains.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said measures to address the slump would be discussed at council's Future Melbourne Committee meeting tonight.
The council will also seek more financial support from the state government.
"We're really looking for further business support, because whilst we're not in an official lockdown, we're still seeing the same impacts on small businesses, but there aren't currently any government programs to provide financial support," Ms Capp said.
