Australia has recorded 502 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, the single largest daily number of cases since the pandemic began.

The previous highest number reported in a single day was 469 cases, which was recorded in late March and mostly fuelled by returning international travellers.

The bulk of the cases are from Victoria, which reached a new peak on Wednesday with 484 cases recorded in 24 hours.

An additional 16 cases were from New South Wales and one was from Queensland.

New figures reveal almost 90 per cent of people in Victoria are failing to self-isolate when they become unwell.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said 2,414 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Australia over the past week.

This is the single-largest daily number of diagnoses of COVID-19 in Australia since the pandemic began," he said.

There are currently about 3,500 active cases of COVID-19 in Australia.

Professor Kidd said the rise in case numbers meant it was essential people followed the rules.

"Clearly the figures released today are very significant and they provide a stark reminder that we must all be playing our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19," he said.

"I know that many people will be alarmed and worried about this rise in numbers, but we all know what we must do.

"This is not a time to be complacent and we need to be reinforcing this with each other, and especially for those who are in the lockdown areas in Melbourne where we are seeing the very significant numbers occurring at this time."

Triple digit numbers 'very concerning'

Victoria imposed strict stage three coronavirus restrictions in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire two weeks ago, but its case numbers have continued to fluctuate — from 217 on Saturday to the record high on Wednesday.

Epidemiologists like Raina MacIntyre from the Kirby Institute have said they would have expected the case numbers to have come down by now.

"Generally, when you apply an intervention, you would expect to see the effects in two weeks, which is the incubation period" she told the ABC on Tuesday.

"So it is very concerning to be still seeing figures in the triple figures."

She said the approach needed to be revisited if there was not a dip in numbers by the end of this week.

AMA Victoria president Julian Rait has repeatedly called for tougher restrictions to be implemented, saying it is necessary to prevent further deaths.

On Tuesday, Professor Kidd described the situation as a "watch and wait", saying while the numbers were not coming down, they also weren't escalating.

But on Wednesday, he said Victorian authorities would be looking at the rise and considering whether additional measures were needed.

"This is the most substantial rise and most substantial numbers in Victoria as well as nationwide and [they] will be determining their response, so we wait to hear what the Victorian authorities say, but in the meantime the Commonwealth is moving in with all the supports I have outlined previously," he said.

Those supports include masks from the National Medical Stockpile and a surge workforce for aged care residents in facilities that have been affected by coronavirus.

Also of concern to health authorities is the rising number of people with COVID-19 requiring intensive health care.

There are now 214 people with coronavirus in hospital — an additional 31 people since Tuesday.

Of those, more than 40 people are in intensive care units — and more than half of them need ventilators to help them breathe. / abc.net.au

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