Sixteen Victorians and one man in New South Wales have died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours as the number of new cases being detected each day continues to fall.
There have now been 396 deaths from COVID-19 across Australia since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Victorian fatalities include one woman and two men in their 70s, two women and four men in their 80s, and four women and three men in their 90s, Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday. Eleven of the new deaths are connected to aged care outbreaks.
An additional 279 infections in Victoria were also announced on Sunday, , taking the state's total number of cases to 16,764.
More than 660 Victorians were being treated in hospital for the virus, with 40 in intensive care and 29 on a ventilator. Health workers make up more than 15 per cent of the state's 7,671 active cases.
The deaths came after four fatalities were reported on Saturday, appearing to confirm the view of health officials that the low daily toll was a blip in data.
NSW Health authorities also announced the death of the man in his 80s on Sunday, bringing the state's death toll from the virus to 54.
Five new cases were also detected across NSW, the lowest for the state since 12 July.
Three were linked to an outbreak at the Tangara School for Girls in Sydney's north-west, which has so far been linked to 25 cases in total.
Another student tested positive at Sydney Girls High School, which is closed for a deep clean. Her case will be counted in Monday's figures and authorities are working to establish close contacts.
In Victoria, Mr Andrews said it was too early to tell whether the strict Stage 4 restrictions currently in place across Melbourne would be lifted at the end of the initial six-week period, but said there was a "sense of real hope" that the strategy was working.
He also said the state of emergency had been extended until the 13 September.
"If you do a trend over the last seven to 10 days, then we have gone from, around that period ... 700 cases or more. We are now not in that territory, that is what the data says to us," he said.
"Where will we be tomorrow? We will have to wait and see what tomorrow's numbers are."
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Saturday said infection numbers were starting to stabilise but warned there was no room for complacency.
The Victorian premier specifically called on residents in regional centres to get tested even if they have mild symptoms. As of Saturday, there were 158 active cases in Geelong, 19 in Bendigo, and 27 in Ballarat.
"That is stabilising, we did see some growth a couple of days ago," he said. "It's really, really important that those people in those communities ... come forward and get tested."
Melbourne residents remain subject to night-time curfews, are only permitted to leave the house for essential supplies once a day, cannot travel beyond five kilometres from their home and must wear a face mask while in public.
Stage 3 restrictions apply across the rest of the state.
Metropolitan Melbourne residents are subject to Stage 4 restrictions and must comply with a curfew between the hours of 8pm and 5am. During the curfew, people in Melbourne can only leave their house for work, and essential health, care or safety reasons.
Between 5am and 8pm, people in Melbourne can leave the home for exercise, to shop for necessary goods and services, for work, for health care, or to care for a sick or elderly relative. The full list of restrictions can be found here. All Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home, no matter where they live.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at .
