Covid-19: False positive test for teen after urgent testing

A South Australian teenager feared to have contracted Covid-19 has in fact returned a false positive test result.

South Australian health authorities have found a teenager who returned a “very weak positive” Covid test late last week was in fact a false infectious result.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier raised concerns about the case earlier on Tuesday, as she called for testing levels to increase.

She said a South Australian teenage boy returned a “very weak positive” test result in NSW last Friday before returning two further negative checks.

She said it was yet to be determined an active case, adding she expected results to show a “false positive” while authorities were reconstructing the boy’s travel movements.

SA Health has since disclosed that urgent testing found the teenage had not contracted coronavirus and had returned a false positive result.

The boy, who visited Port Augusta and Adelaide, travelled across the border to see family, which is split between SA and NSW.

Chief public health officers Nicola Spurrier at the opening of a vaccination clinic at Pooraka Produce Markets. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Prof Spurrier said the incident was a reminder for all South Australians to get tested, even with the mildest of symptoms.

She said she would like to see daily testing, currently at about 4000 to 5000 tests a day, lift to more than 8000 a day.

“If we had South Australians getting tested, there may be people out here in our state that we don’t know about,” she said.

“It is a reminder to South Australians that in Victoria and NSW there are so many cases at the moment and we really are at high risk in our state of a Covid outbreak.”

Prof Spurrier also announced on Tuesday vaccination clinics had been established at Tailem Bend and Yamba to help essential workers, including freight drivers, to get a Covid jab.

Prof Spurrier, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and Health Minister Stephen Wade said there was no need for a “road map” for rules once the state hits an 80 per cent vaccination rate, as there had been no prolonged lockdowns here in SA.

They are, however, still discussing what level of restrictions will be placed on South Australians when that target is hit.

Mr Wade revealed more than 1500 travel exemptions had been processed in the past week. There are now more than 6000 applications awaiting approval, down from at least 7500 last Friday.