First free COVID-19 clinic opens at Shailer Park

The southside’s first free coronavirus respiratory clinic has opened at Shailer Park with staff reporting hundreds of patients asking for tests.

The Respiratory clinic at Shailer Park which offers free COVID-19 testing.

THE southside’s first free coronavirus respiratory clinic has opened in Shailer Park.

INSIDE LOGAN HOSPITAL FEVER CLINIC

FEVER CLINIC SET UP AT LOGAN HOSPITAL

The clinic, next to the Shailer Park Medical Centre, opened last week as part of the move by the federal government to contain any spread of the deadly virus.

It is one of four clinics to open in the southeast in a bid to take the pressure off local hospitals, emergency departments and doctors’ surgeries.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the state was leading the world in testing with 77,727 covid tests done compared to about 270,000 tests done across the entire country.

All patients get a free coronavirus test at the Shailer Park Respiratory Clinic which only treats respiratory illnesses.

To date, 1007 people in Queensland have had positive tests with five deaths in the state.

Dr Young said the number of tests in Queensland had increased over the past two weeks after the state relaxed the eligibility conditions.

Testing is available to anyone with symptoms in hot spots such as Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns.

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Health authorities said the broadened testing regime would give experts a better understanding of the extent of community transmission.

Clinic general manager Damien Kiely said all who presented at Shailer Park were being tested and results were sent to the patient’s local GP within 24 hours.

Free coronavirus tests are being conducted at the southside’s first Respiratory Clinic.

Mr Kiely said the free testing was the government’s way of monitoring coronavirus hot spots.

“Patients do not need a referral but they do need to call us before turning up to make an appointment so that there is no waiting,” he said.

“The clinic is only for people with respiratory illnesses and all other medical conditions need to be seen by their GP.”

Anyone who has been overseas recently and is feeling unwell or who has been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 or requires COVID-19 diagnosis will be tested for free.

The clinic is at Shop 6 Beenleigh-Redland Bay Rd, Logandale Blvd, Cornubia.

To call: 3445 4050.