Reported Covid cases in Bass Coast have averaged just under 60 per week for the past month.

Cowes currently has the highest number of registered Covid cases in the shire, according to government figures released on June 9.

The figures also show there have been 3790 cases recorded in Cowes during the pandemic.

That’s close to 50 per cent of the registered population for the 3922 postcode area.

Last month Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child said Covid cases in the shire are up and they were seeing more coming through the door as patients.

“We know there are much less people doing tests and notifying the health department, but numbers are increasing,” Ms Child said.

With Rapid Antigen Tests only offering around a 50 per cent accuracy rate, and PCR tests hard to get, Ms Child believes there are many more cases in the community.

She urged people to keep testing, to wear masks to protect themselves, and to stay home if they were feeling unwell, even if a RAT test was negative.

“People have it in their head that you only have to stay home and isolate if you have a positive RAT test.

“But if you have any symptoms, please stay home. If you are sick, stay at home.

“This winter there are many viruses about and we are seeing more cases of the flu and RSV coming through the ED and the Urgent Care Centre in Cowes.”

She also backed calls from the state government for people to get flu and Covid vaccinations.

For information on flu vaccinations, visit: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/flu-influenza-immunisation

For Covid vaccinations visit: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/get-vaccinated