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Melbourne has emerged from its fourth lockdown despite four mystery coronavirus cases on the eve of restrictions being lifted.

Masks will remain mandatory as authorities try to ensure Victoria has gotten its latest surge of virus under control.

The restrictions eased at 11.59pm on Thursday, a week after it was initially hoped the state would be on top of the outbreak.

The four new locally acquired cases, revealed by Acting Premier James Merlino on Thursday, are from the same household in Reservoir, in Melbourne's north, and investigations into the source of the infections are underway.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said they were not close contacts of known infections.

"They're not identified as close contacts, none of them has given a history of being at an exposure site," Professor Cheng said.

READ MORE: Victoria announces $30 million support package targeted at residents hit by COVID lockdowns

"The first man, a man in his 80s, was tested on June 8 and got his result (on Wednesday). The other members of the household tested positive (on Wednesday) as well.

"We've already tested several close contacts of these cases outside of the household and they've all come back negative but obviously will remain in quarantine."

Professor Cheng said the continued requirement to wear masks outside was based on concern around mystery infection.

"These new cases are really the strongest reminder that we are, by no means, out of the woods yet," he said.

READ MORE: The highly contagious Delta strain explained

"Over the last fortnight, there have been very limited opportunities for people to transmit infection during lockdown, and obviously what I am anxious about is whoever gave the infection to both these groups is identified quickly and doesn't have the opportunity to transmit to other people."

Mr Merlino said wearing masks outdoors was a small but effective price to pay.

"We are used to it, we know it works, and as we come out of this period and lockdown, while we are driving these new cases to ground, I think it is a logical and common-sense step to take," he said.

"This is a small price to pay to make sure that we can proceed with this careful easing out of lockdown."

READ MORE: What's coming back and what's staying closed

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1402761600663052290

Chief Medical Officer Professor Kelly congratulated Victoria for their successful handling of the latest coronavirus outbreak and said the state's hotspot status would be lifted.

"I have made the decision that the hotspot, that designation should be removed at midnight tonight, the same as the Victoria lockdown changes," he said.

READ MORE: NSW woman's blood clot death linked to AstraZeneca vaccine

Professor Kelly said this means the COVID-19 disaster payments on offer to affected Victorians would end as well but noted further support measures would continue.

"Any other assistance the Victorian government has at this time in relation to personal protective equipment, for example, will still be provided and will continue for another two weeks but the hotspot designation will end tonight at midnight," he said.

More than 23,000 people came forward to be tested in Victoria on Wednesday.

The lifting of the lockdown means the five reasons to leave home no longer apply.

Private household gatherings are still prohibited, but public gatherings up to 10 people outdoors will be allowed, hospitality and retail sectors will reopen and students will return to schools.

Settings deemed high-risk such as gyms, amusement parks, dance studios and nightclubs will remain closed.

It comes as interstate health authorities race to prevent coronavirus outbreaks after a COVID-positive woman and her husband drove from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast via New South Wales.

READ MORE: Tens of thousands without power as destructive storms lash Victoria

The 44-year-old Victorian woman tested positive in the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday, sparking more than 20 health alerts across regional NSW and south-east Queensland.

Her husband has since also tested positive.

Nearly 30 new COVID-19 exposure sites have been added to Victoria's list, including multiple days and times for aged care home Arcare Maidstone.

Coles Bundoora Square has been marked as a Tier Two site after a person shopped at the supermarket while potentially infectious.

Marco Fine Food & Groceries at Reservoir Central has been listed as a Tier One site requiring anyone who attended at the time to isolate for 14 days and get tested.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

A woman in New South Wales has died of a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has reported.

The TGA said since last week, there have been four confirmed cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) which are "likely" linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A 52-year-old woman was one of these cases and the TGA reported she had suffered a severe form of TTS in the form of a blood clot in her brain, also known as a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, before her death.

READ MORE: Delta coronavirus variant '60 per cent more transmissible'

"We are sad to hear of the passing of a woman who recently received COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, and our thoughts are with her family and friends," AstraZeneca said in a statement on Thursday night.

"Patient safety remains AstraZeneca's highest priority, and we continue to work closely with the TGA and other regulators around the world as they investigate these very rare cases."

The woman was the youngest of the four reported new cases, with others including a 77-year-old NSW man, a 70-year-old South Australian man, and an 87-year-old South Australian woman.

Four other cases of TTS in the past week were reported as probable instances of being linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, three of them in NSW.

READ MORE: 'This is insane': Africa desperately short of COVID vaccine

In total, there have been 48 cases of TTS following the AstraZeneca jab in Australia, with 35 confirmed and 13 assessed as probable out of millions of vaccinations.

So far, 31 have been discharged from hospital and are recovering, 15 patients remain in hospital, including one in a critical condition in intensive care, and two people have died in hospital.

The other death believed to be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine was a 48-year-old woman who died in a NSW hospital in April.

That woman, who was diabetic, had serious underlying health issues before receiving the vaccine.

Following the 52-year-old woman's death, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly reminded Australians that blood clotting was "an extremely rare" reaction to the vaccine.

"NSW Health has in the last couple of hours announced we have had our second death related to the AstraZeneca vaccine," Professor Kelly said.

"An extremely unfortunate situation of a 52-year-old woman who had the vaccine a couple of weeks ago.

"I will point out that it is only the second death with now over 3.6 million doses of the vaccine being given across Australia.

"I will point out that this remains an extremely rare event to get these serious clots, but when they happen, as we have seen in this case, it can have tragic circumstances."

The TGA also clarified that TTS incidents remained extremely rare, but urged people with concerns to consult their doctor.

Anybody who has been vaccinated should seek immediate medical attention if they begin suffering a severe or persistent headache, blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, unusual skin bruising, or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination.

TTS symptoms most commonly manifest between four and 30 days after vaccination.

The TGA said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine continued to outweigh the risks.

Remains have been found in the search for a kite surfer who went missing in waters off the West Australian coast.

Emergency services were called when a witness saw John Laverack fall into rough waters near the mouth of the Murchison River in Kalbarri yesterday afternoon.

"You could see him and then he disappeared," Kalbarri fisherman Terry Ash told 9News.

READ MORE: 'Desperate' family of missing Brisbane man fly in from NZ

'I was saying 'I wish I had my boat here' but it's being repaired after the cyclone – extremely distressing in that respect."

A search was initiated, with Marine Rescue, SES volunteers and Polair all working to try and locate the missing man.

WA Police Inspector Dave Hooper said the conditions on the river were like a washing machine and one of the marine rescue boats was almost overturned twice during the dangerous search efforts.

Just before 4pm today, authorities were alerted to human remains in the water.

READ MORE: Family joins search for missing surf skier off Stradbroke Island

The remains were flown to Perth and are being forensically tested to confirm if they belong to Mr Laverack.

Mr Laverack's family have been advised of the possible update and police say they will continue searching the Kalbarri waters until testing results come back.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

The Defence Minister has confirmed more US marines will be stationed in Australia's north as he warned of an increasingly complex and "far less predictable" period than any time since the second World War.

In a wide-ranging address to a security conference in Canberra, Peter Dutton warned not all nations are following Australia and its allies by prioritising peace in the Indo-Pacific.

"The prospect of military conflict is less remote than in the past, especially through miscalculation or misunderstanding," Mr Dutton told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

LIVE UPDATES: All the latest breaking news on Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdown

READ MORE: Beijing slams US 'Cold War mentality' over anti-China bill

He spoke about the need for a mutually respectful relationship with China but said Australia would not accept instances of international law being broken.

"Effective deterrence is important in ensuring those who seek to threaten our interests are made to think twice before doing so," Mr Dutton said.

One possible path is boosting the presence of the US military and concentrating defence assets in Darwin.

"I think that's in our own security interests and in the interests of the United States as well," Mr Dutton said.

As well as raising concerns about the "rapid build-up" of China's military, top defence chiefs also spoke about the increasing threat of cyber warfare.

"It keeps military planners up at night," said Katherine Jones, the Associate Secretary of the Department of Defence.

Earlier in the day, Shadow Defence Minister Brendan O'Connor told the conference, the government is failing to effectively tackle cyber threats.

READ MORE: McGowan hits out at PM's China remarks

"The rising tide of cyber threats – a grey-zone we're already confronted with – leaves our defence industry a prime target for criminal and state-sanctioned operators," he said.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

An infectious diseases expert has called for Australia to allow vaccinated people returning from overseas to quarantine at home – after the nation's top doctor maintained no changes to hotel quarantine are currently planned.

Even if Aussies coming back from overseas have been vaccinated, they must still go into 14-day hotel quarantine, which costs about $3000, or $5000 for a family.

Some 34,000 Australians overseas are registered with DFAT as wanting to return, but there are strict flight caps which limit numbers.

They all must complete the hotel quarantine when they eventually arrive.

READ MORE: Interactive: Track the COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Things are starting to change in other nations, with Canada this week set to allow fully vaccinated citizens who test negative for COVID-19 to be exempt from two weeks quarantine – only three days of which needs to be at a hotel.

However, when asked about it this week, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said no changes are currently planned here.

Professor Kelly said while "possibilities" could be looked at, the health emergency body AHPPC has "not recommended" any change.

"Recognising vaccination for example, testing prior to arrival for example, different countries that people might come from where the risk might be less than other countries, this is work we have embarked on for some time," he said.

"But at this stage very clearly, we have our suppression strategy and no community transmission here in Australia.

"That's very different to Canada and most other countries in the world."

READ MORE: Can you get a COVID-19 vaccination yet? State-by-state guide

Deakin University Epidemiology chair, Professor Catherine Bennett said monitored home quarantine, rather than no quarantine, should be an option for vaccinated people.

"We're not talking about having no quarantine," she told 9News.

"You could potentially have very low risk people home quarantining – your vaccinated people.

"The next level would be hotel quarantine for those not vaccinated, or where you're not sure about their vaccination status, if they've had one of your less effective vaccines.

READ MORE: Millennials chase leftover vaccine doses amid jab plea

"And then your high risk would be people who've already tested positive with a variant of concern or they're people who've come from a country that's very high risk."

She said both the numbers of people coming in with COVID – only passengers with a negative test can travel – coupled with the proved success of vaccines, means the risk of people having the virus are already now low in vaccinated people.

"With Pfizer you're talking about a 90 per cent in any risk of infection- symptomatic or not, and its not far off for AstraZeneca, either They're both looking vey good, in the 80 per cents," she said.

"And only half a per cent of people returning from overseas are positive anyway, because we screen offshore.

"So if you've only got a half a percent chance of being positive, and only a 20 percent chance of being infected, it's starting to become incredibly low that you would be positive.

"But you're still going into home quarantine. And you're still tested."

She said, like other experts including former Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, that Australia needs to learn to live with the virus, and thinks the rules which were originally put in place to protect hospitals from being overstretched, have "gone awry".

That includes a couple being banned from leaving hotel quarantine to see their newborn baby.

"People will continue to die from infectious diseases, flu, other pneumonia, a range of things, and COVID will be one of them," she said.

"We should monitor these diseases but we shouldn't be counting and reporting them every day, if it's not something that's signalling that the virus is changing."

"We're now locked into these very extreme, zero tolerance thinking, which takes all our effort, rather than what we need to do to prepare for tomorrow."

Last month the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry called for vaccinated people to be exempt from quarantine once more people have the jab, as part of a suggested opening up plan.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also mentioned possible "vaccine passports", but no plans have been revealed.

https://twitter.com/AusChamber/status/1396671549231538176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

By Nita Blake-Persen of RNZ An elderly Auckland woman is facing a desperate fight for her home after her daughter allegedly tricked her into signing away her ownership of the property.The woman’s case is one of thousands that…