Australia’s second-most populous state Victoria, the epicentre for Covid-19 infections in the country has reported its lowest rise in virus-related deaths in two weeks as a second-wave outbreak eases.

Victoria said five people died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the lowest one-day rise since Aug 15, while 70 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a seven-week low.

The fall in the number of new cases comes as the state capital Melbourne begins its fourth week of a six-week lockdown that sees residents confined to their homes, a nightly curfew imposed and large parts of the state economy ordered to close.