Almost 140 Victorian healthcare workers were diagnosed with COVID-19 overnight, representing more than 30 per cent of the state's daily case numbers.
A further 450 cases and 11 deaths were recorded in the state on Friday, taking Victoria's total number of fatalities to 181.
The new deaths include a woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, three men and three women in their 80s, and two women in their 90s. Seven of the 11 new deaths were related to aged care facilities.
"Our nurses, doctors, ambulance, paramedics, cooks, cleaners, orderlies, ward clerks, everybody in our hospital system, they are not the frontline. They are the last line of defence," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said during his daily coronavirus media conference on Friday.
"They are heroes. Their courage and their compassion and care that they provide is just amazing."
Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton described the 911 active cases in healthcare workers as "very concerning", stating the strain on the health sector was "not insignificant".
Nurses were more likely to catch the virus than doctors, he added, attributing the discrepancy to the closeness of the interaction nurses have with their patients.
Victoria has now recorded a total of 13,867 COVID-19 infections, 607 of which are being treated in hospital.
Of 1,150 door knocks completed by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and health authorities on Thursday, 150 people who should have been isolating could not be found at home.
"I would just ask all Victorians to follow the rules to protect themselves but also to protect our dedicated healthcare team," Mr Andrews said.
Earlier on Friday, NSW Health announced 11 more cases of coronavirus, including one person who acquired the virus in Victoria.
Special consideration for ATAR scores
Victorian Education Minister James Merlino also used the daily coronavirus media conference to announce all Year 12 students in the state would be eligible for coronavirus special consideration.
In an "extraordinary" change to the special consideration system, Mr Merlino said every VCE students would be individually assessed and "any adverse impacts" from COVID-19 would be reflected in their ATAR mark.
A slew of scenarios would be taken into consideration when making the assessment, he said, including extended school closures, long absences after contracting the virus, increases in family responsibilities, and adverse mental health due to the pandemic.
"This year is like no other, it is an unprecedented year and we need to support our students in an unprecedented way," he said.
"Now, students will go into their VCE exams with the confidence knowing that they will not be disadvantaged as a result of COVID-19 ... It puts them on a level playing field with every student across 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 .
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.
