The high number of cases marks a significant jump on the 8577 COVID-19 cases recorded in the state yesterday yesterday.
"Obviously that is a large increase and equates to a very high positivity rate of the virus in our community," Acting Premier Jacinta Allan said.
Victorian COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar said one in four tests in Victoria were now coming back positive.
Two new deaths of people infected with the virus have been recorded today, while there are 516 people in hospital, including 56 in intensive care and 24 requiring ventilation.
Large wait times are continuing at COVID-19 testing sites across the state as 54 testing sites, run by private sector pathology providers 4Cyte, Dorevitch, Melbourne Pathology and ACL, have been suspended from today so they can process outstanding tests.
"They will continue to work 24-7 to process the backlog of test results," Mr Weimar said.
He said the sites would reopen once the outstanding tests from the Christmas and New Year period had been processed.
Mr Weimar said while the sites were "a significant part" of the state's pathology, government-run testing sites would continue to remain open.
The COVID Commander said Victoria was facing a difficult month ahead.
"It is a challenging time for all of us," he said.
"This is a very different beast," he said, referring to the Omicron variant.
Mr Weimar said people who tested positive on a rapid antigen test and could not get a PCR test should assume they were positive.
He said positive cases would get a text from the health department asking them eight "critical questions", with the answers to indicate who would need extra care.
Ms Allan thanked Victorians for their patience in getting tested amid longer wait times and urged everyone eligible to get their booster shots.
"If you're eligible, please, go and get your third dose vaccination."
Shortage of rapid antigen tests
An influx of rapid antigen tests is expected in Victoria soon, as the hospital system continues to struggle with demand and a shortage of the tests is leaving many stranded.
The Victorian government has ordered 34 million of the tests, and hundreds of thousands of them are expected in coming days.
But how they will be distributed to the public remains unclear.
Hospitals in Melbourne have urged people to stay away unless they are experiencing a genuine emergency, with Triple Zero calls for mild COVID-19 symptoms on the rise.
Mr Weimar said so far this year, Victoria has already seen more positive cases than the entire first year of the pandemic.
"We are already seeing in the space of three days, more people being infected than over the course of the entire first year of the pandemic," he said.
Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed the government would strengthen its state-run vaccination clinics to help with booster availability and shots for children.
How Australia faced the emergence of the Omicron variant
A further 28 pop up clinics will be open from January 5 across the state.
"We are ensuring that up to 300,000 Victorians can get vaccinated every week, through our ramped up state-run clinics, and we look forward to meeting that number," Mr Foley said.