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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's former chief aide lashed out Wednesday at the government he once served, saying people died "in horrific circumstances" because of authorities' failed response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a ferocious attack, Dominic Cummings claimed the government was slow and chaotic in its initial response to COVID-19, and he accused Johnson of failing to learn from early mistakes by resisting a second lockdown in the fall as virus cases soared.

Johnson, he told lawmakers in televised testimony, was "unfit for the job".

READ MORE: Influencers offered thousands to smear Pfizer vaccine

"The truth is that senior ministers, senior officials, senior advisers like me, disastrously short of the standards that the public has a right to expect of its government in a crisis like this," Cummings said.

"People did not get the treatment they deserved. Many people were left to die in horrific circumstances."

The UK has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe, and experienced one of the world's deepest recessions in 2020 as three successive lockdowns hobbled the economy.

READ MORE: US reaches major milestone in COVID-19 fight

A mass vaccination campaign that started in December has brought infections and fatalities down sharply, but the government acknowledges it will have to answer serious questions at a future public inquiry.

Cummings' testimony to Parliament's science and health committees, who are investigating Britain's pandemic response, gave a dramatic taste of what might come out.

He alleged a disastrous series of bad decisions and false assumptions within government in early 2020, saying Johnson initially regarded the virus as "just a scare story"

"He described it as the new swine flu" and mused about getting injected with the virus on live TV to allay people's fears, Cummings claimed.

He said officials, including Johnson, went on vacation in February 2020 and were "literally skiing" as the outbreak grew.

By March, he said the government was consumed by chaos that Cummings said "seemed like an out-of-control movie."

It was "like a scene from 'Independence Day' with Jeff Goldblum saying 'The aliens are here and your whole plan is broken,'" Cummings said.

Johnson eventually imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 23, and was hospitalised in intensive care with the virus in April 2020.

Johnson defended the government's response on Wednesday, saying "to deal with a pandemic on this scale has been appallingly difficult."

"We have at every stage tried to minimise loss of life, to save lives, to protect the (health service) and we have followed the best scientific advice that we can," Johnson said in the House of Commons.

One of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, Cummings was appointed a top adviser when Johnson became prime minister in 2019. A self-styled political disruptor who wanted to shake up government, he often expressed contempt for the civil service, politicians and the media.

Cummings made headlines in May 2020 when newspapers revealed he had driven 400km across the country after contracting COVID-19, despite a nationwide stay-at-home order. His defence — that he was seeking childcare help from relatives in case he got sick — rang hollow to many Britons who had made sacrifices to follow the rules.

Cummings acknowledged Wednesday that he hadn't told the whole truth. He said his real motivation in leaving London was his family's safety, because there had been threats to his London home.

Cummings left his job in November amid a power struggle inside the prime minister's office. Now a fierce critic of his previous employer, he accuses the government of sticking with a policy of "herd immunity" — allowing the virus to spread through the population while protecting the most vulnerable — until it was too late to prevent draconian lockdowns and many deaths.

He said the government believed — wrongly, it turned out — that the British public would never accept strict lockdown measures, and that locking down would simply lead to a later, steeper peak in deaths.

The government denies that herd immunity through infection was ever its policy.

Cummings also slammed the government's failure to shut Britain's borders to keep out the virus, called the country's initial lack of testing capacity a "disaster" and said patients with COVID-19 were rashly discharged from hospitals into nursing homes, where thousands died.

Without citing evidence, he excoriated Health Secretary Matt Hancock, accusing him of lying to the public and saying he "should have been fired for at least 15, 20 things." Hancock is due to give his own evidence to lawmakers next month.

Cummings alleged that Johnson refused to heed the advice of scientific advisers to impose a second stay-at-home order in September and also expressed regret about ordering the first lockdown.

He said Johnson told him, "I should have been the mayor in 'Jaws' and kept the beaches open."

A second national lockdown was announced October 31, and a third in January.

The government accused Cummings of downplaying the fact that he was one of the most powerful people in the government when key decisions were made.

"He was there at the time — what his motives would be I will leave to others," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

Cummings apologised for not doing more to change the government's strategy and said Johnson, whom he worked alongside for years, was "unfit for the job" of prime minister.

"It was completely crazy that I should have been in such a senior position," he reflected. "It's just completely crackers that someone like me should have been in there, just the same as it's crackers that Boris Johnson was in there."

Melbourne is on edge as the threat of another coronavirus lockdown looms amid fears a growing outbreak will develop into a deadly third wave of the virus.

On Wednesday, Dr Stephen Parnis, who works in emergency departments across three of the city's biggest hospitals, said the next 24 hours were "absolutely critical" to control the 15-case cluster.

"The second wave occurred because it had gotten away from us at this time last year, before we even knew it," Dr Parnis told A Current Affair last night.

READ MORE: NSW sporting club members urged to isolate

"(This time) it's a matter of understanding the scope of exposure and spread across mainly Melbourne, but we also know there have been instances outside of Melbourne as well."

There are fears the virus may already have found a path interstate, as NSW Health urgently contacts people from a sporting club who attended an event in Victoria where one of the new confirmed cases of COVID-19 was present.

Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino said "further action" could not be ruled out if the Whittlesea cluster continued to grow.

READ MORE: Thousands urged to get tested after attending AFL game at MCG

New restrictions are already in force across Greater Melbourne, including mandatory mask-wearing and limits on private and public gatherings.

"We'll update people as soon as we know," Mr Merlino said.

"These cases so far are all linked, and that's a good thing, but we are concerned about the number (of cases) and the kind of exposure sites."

Exposure sites grow

AFL matches are still expected to go ahead with crowds despite the new outbreak already being linked to two games last weekend and one interstate match being postponed this coming Saturday.

Marvel Stadium and the MCG are both listed as COVID-19 exposure sites after two matches on Sunday.

Mr Merlino said any matches going ahead would be subject to restrictions, including mask rules.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said possible lockdown restrictions would hinge on further review of the newest cases.

Health officials have identified 301 primary close contacts.

Professor Sutton said it was a "concern" there had "been exposures over a number of days".

Some of the cluster cases are known to have been infectious and out in the community for more than a week.

READ MORE: South Australians return home after COVID-19 exposure in Melbourne

How Melbourne's COVID-19 cases are connected

Case one: Man in his 30s got tested on Sunday.

Case two: Man in his 70s who went with case one to get tested.

Case three + four: woman in her 70s and child, detected after being deemed close contacts.

Case five: Had a business meeting with case one.

Cases six-nine: Same family unit as case five, but different households.

Cases 10-12: Workplace contacts of case nine. The workplace is a finance firm in Port Melbourne.

Case 13: Another contact of case one.

Cases 14-15: Workplace contacts of case nine.

It's the first total lunar eclipse in more than two years.

Victorian health authorities are urging thousands of people who attended an AFL match at the MCG on Sunday to get tested and isolate as Melbourne's COVID-19 cluster grows to 16.

Anyone sitting in zone four, level one of the Great Southern Stand of the MCG on Sunday for the Collingwood and Port Adelaide game are considered immediate contacts with authorities rushing to contact everyone who could be affected.

The Port Adelaide team and staff who travelled for the match are also now quarantining in South Australia.

LIVE UPDATES: Victoria's COVID-19 outbreak grows to 16

READ MORE: Next 24 hours critical for Victoria

"In light of the positive case identified as having visited the MCG on Sunday, Port Adelaide players and staff members who were at the venue for the game against Collingwood will undergo COVID-19 tests today," a club statement released today read.

"The club is also encouraging any members and supporters who attended the match to get tested out of an abundance of caution.

"Wednesday had already been a scheduled day off for players and football department staff, who will await negative results before returning to training."

The game hosted more than 20,000 spectators and health officials are scouring CCTV to determine who was in close proximity to a positive case who attended the game.

How the infected person travelled to and from the match is still being investigated.

The AFL is also working with the Department of Health to contact ticket holders who may be affected.

Meanwhile a positive case has been confirmed to have attended the Essendon v North Melbourne AFL game at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Individuals sitting on Level 1 between Aisles 5 and 28 or Level 3 in between Aisles 6 and 29 must get tested and stay isolated until they have received a negative result.

The Department of Health is working with the AFL and Marvel Stadium to contact spectators.

Some people with closest contact to the positive case will be directly provided more specific advice from the Department of Health.

Anyone else at the stadium on Sunday who was not not in those areas will be advised to check for symptoms and get tested if any develop.

The second positive case at an AFL match comes after the league's 10 Victorian clubs were all put into lockdown for seven days in response to Melbourne's COVID-19 outbreak.

The AFL told its Victorian teams today it was taking extra steps to avoid any impact on the competition and upcoming fixtures.

Players, coaches and club staff will only be allowed to leave their homes for four reasons: shopping for food and supplies, care giving, exercise and work – including training and rehab.

All 10 teams are still able to train together as a full group, but clubs' meeting sizes have been significantly reduced.

Health Minister Martin Foley said MCG stadium managers and health authorities immediately got data of attendees and were able to undertake contact tracing to connect with people who attended on the night.

Mr Foley said at this stage, games would still go ahead at the MCG.

"AFL is going ahead with crowds, subject to changes and masks, but there has been great engagement between the league, stadiums and the public health team," Mr Foley said.

"This is subject to how we go over the next 24 hours. We have got a critical period in front of us, but right now, engagement between the AFL and public health – games with crowds will be subject to restrictions."

Mr Foley said capacity across Melbourne testing sites were gradually increasing to cater to high demand.

Four new testing sites have been established, with more staff put on at Epping's Northern Health in response to the "very high levels of demand" in the north. 

READ MORE: Exposure sites spread wider throughout Melbourne

There are more than 40 sites operating across Melbourne with extended operating hours. 

"If everyone with symptoms comes forward to get tested, with everyone at links to a current exposure site known to us, with everyone following the health advice and with our public health detectives staying on top of the trend of transmission – we can run this to the ground," Mr Foley said.

The health department has identified 301 primary close contacts linked to the outbreak. 

Several bars have also been recently added to the state's exposure site list, including the Three Monkeys and Somewhere Bar in Prahran and Circus Bar on Chapel Street in South Yarra. 

READ MORE: State and territory reactions to Victoria's new COVID-19 cases

Anyone who has attended the tier-1 sites is required to get tested and isolate for 14 days. 

Authorities say they will not rule out harsher restrictions in order to stamp out the escalating outbreak. 

"The next 24 hours are going to be particularly critical," Acting Victoria Deputy James Merlino said. 

"Everyone is linked at this stage, but we are concerned about the number and the kind of exposure sites.

"I can't rule out making further changes."