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* Victoria recorded 394 new COVID-19 cases and 17 more deaths on Sunday, its deadliest day yet.
* The latest victims include two people in their 50s and take the state's death toll to 210 and the nationwide tally to 295.
* Ten of the 17 deaths were linked to aged care outbreaks while more than 2700 confirmed Victorian cases still have no known source and remain of primary concern.
* Almost 1000 Victorian health care workers also currently have COVID-19.
* Deputy national health chief Nick Coatsworth said the development of a COVID-19 vaccine continues at a "very exciting pace" but Australia currently has only "two blunt tools" to tackle the virus: extreme social distancing and stage four restrictions.
* Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews believes the state's current case numbers reflect "the tail end of the stabilisation that was the product of the stage-three rules" as well as mandatory mask usage for people who leave home.
* NSW recorded just 10 new infections in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, including a healthcare employee in northern Sydney who worked on August 6 from 11am to midnight while infectious.
* Queensland went for a fourth straight day with no new cases. However hundreds of people caught partying on a beach in the state's far north could face criminal charges for breaching restrictions.
* Queensland's border closure came into force at 1am on Saturday, causing havoc at crossings with more than 140 cars waiting hours only to be turned around.
* A man with just one day of mandatory quarantine to go in the Northern Territory has been hit with a $5000 fine after he was caught trying to sneak out early.
* Western Australia's hard COVID-19 border closure has deterred 99 per cent of normal eastern states traffic entering the state, says Premier Mark McGowan.
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SPORT
* The NRL will consider heavier sanctions for players and officials who breach the bubble, with ARL boss Peter V'landys warning they are putting all Queensland teams at risk.
* Brisbane enforcer Tevita Pangai Jr is the latest NRL player to fall foul of the rules, banished into 14 days of isolation away from his team after attending the opening of a barber shop.
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KEY DATES
* August 2 to September 13 - stage four lockdown for Melbourne, including a nightly curfew, and stage three lockdown for regional Victoria.
* August 7 - NSW residents returning from Victoria required to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel at their own expense.
* August 8 - Queensland border closed with NSW, with road access blocked to everyone except essential workers and border residents.
* August 29 - The last remaining restrictions on gatherings to be removed in WA.
* August 31 - Tasmania's borders will remain shut until at least the end of the month.
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AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* There were 412 new cases recorded in Australia - 10 in NSW and the rest in Victoria. 17 more deaths were also recorded in Victoria.
* The national death toll as of Sunday is 295: Victoria 210, NSW 52, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).
GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* Cases: at least 19,654,000
* Deaths: at least 727,000
* Recovered: at least 11,945,000
Data current as of 1800 AEST August 8, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
Australian Associated Press