Covid-19: Tweed pharmacy owner says staff ‘worn to the bone’

A Tweed pharmacy owner says staff are mentally exhausted fielding thousands of calls a day asking for Rapid Antigen Tests they simply can’t get.

Every day Laverne Baulch fields thousands of phone calls asking the same question; do you have rapid antigen tests?

The South Tweed Chemist owner and her assistant – the only other staff member she has available to work – have felt the toll of the lack of supply of the tests, exacerbated by the requirement for travellers to get into Queensland.

“We’re worn to the bone, we’re exhausted,” Ms Baulch said.

“We are getting sad stories and it’s just mentally, physically and emotionally draining to be telling people no, no, no, over and over.”

She said she was “appalled” by the way the government handled the transition to using rapid tests where pharmacies and wholesalers found out by watching the news.

“We’ve been let down by our leaders,” she said.

“They have not been looking at what’s happening overseas in Britain and America – they should have been prepared for this 12 months ago.

“We need rapid tests yesterday.”

It has been increasingly difficult to find rapid antigen tests in Northern NSW. Picture: iStock

Ms Baulch said she was receiving a number of calls from travellers desperate to get home to Queensland who required a negative test to cross the border – each day considering lying on their border passes to get through and risking large penalties.

The sad stories compounded with the roster of six staff down to just two and no clear indication on when they will get tests in stock, the staff are feeling the toll.

Ms Baulch has been working upward of 60 hours a week.

But with about every 20 calls, a customer has question unrelated to rapid tests, so she can’t simply turn the phones off.

“We are a service-oriented pharmacy; all our of customers we’re taking care of,” she said.

“They’ll be the first ones to get our tests once we get a shipment.”

Queensland holds firm on rapid test requirement

The Queensland government has encouraged residents to use NSW Covid testing clinics as Northern Rivers sites heave under pressure.

There have been more than 4000 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in the Northern NSW Local Health District in the past four weeks.

The Queensland government has listed the QML testing site in Tweed Heads and 4Cyte at Tweed Heads South on its map of Covid-19 testing locations.

No testing sites within Queensland are listed south of West Burleigh.

But Queensland Health said in a statement they still believe those requirements are necessary until that state reaches 90 per cent double vaccination.

“Despite rapidly rising case numbers, we are still working hard to keep Covid-19 incursions to a minimum and protect the community,” they said.

“That’s what Queenslanders expect. At this stage, we believe the testing requirement for interstate arrivals remains an important prevention measure.

“As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to monitor our public health measures and adjust them accordingly.

“Once 90 per cent of Queensland’s population is fully vaccinated, border restrictions including the testing requirement will be further eased.”

Local MPs criticise testing “shemozzle”

North Coast parliamentarians have meanwhile voiced concerns about the accessibility of PCR and rapid antigen tests across the region.

That availability has been hampered by Queensland’s entry rules for visitors from outside the unrestricted border zone.

Lismore State MP Janelle Saffin has slammed the state government’s lack of planning and proposed fast tracking students into Far North Coast hospitals to relieve staff who are being hammered by Covid-19 patients.

“This requires a state response,” she said.

“I don’t have the magic wand or the answers but do we bring more students who have recently finished (university) in to work?

“We need to know that the government thought about it, that they planned and then tell us what the outcome is and that’s what we don’t hear, that’s what’s missing.

“I’m happy to propose anything but I’m waiting for the government to take responsibility.”

Ms Saffin has been answering calls from the people of her electorate everyday pleading for help to find rapid antigen tests.

A North Coast Covid-19 testing clinic. Picture: Liana Boss

Residents either can’t find any tests or can’t afford them with prices approaching or even exceeding $20 for a test in some places.

“It’s a complete shambles, just a shambles,” she said.

“RATs should be accessible, affordable and free in most cases.

“To make RATs part of the pandemic response and then not have them available is irresponsible.

“People require RATs and they can’t buy them, they literally arrive and barely hit the shelves.”

Despite intensive care places filling up, the lack of rapid tests available and claims of nurses being overworked, Ms Saffin wouldn’t go as far as to say the health system on the Northern Rivers is at breaking point.

“It’s challenged, everybody’s challenged that’s the reality, the system is challenged, the nurse health and staff security, they are doing the best they can,” she said.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest said he was “really disappointed” in the lack of rapid antigen test supply.

“Our pharmacies seem to get dribs and drabs, which is really disappointing,” Mr Provest said.

“The federal government only okayed it back in November and there was obviously a mad rush on it.”

Biohazard material at a Covid-19 testing location in Byron Bay. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Scott Powick

He said the fact Queensland had reviewed its border rules to accept non-border zone travellers after a RAT, rather than a PCR test, had helped to ease some testing congestion.

But people are still waiting hours for tests in his area.

“It’s not a good situation,” he said.

“I think it’s been handled quite appallingly.

“Back in October I was sitting through three weeks of RAT testing in parliament and they were freely available.

“It’s a shemozzle.”

Mr Provest was critical of Queensland’s listing of Tweed-based testing sites.

“It’s really disappointing the Queensland government is directing people to come to our PCR testing, even after the premier said that Queensland hospitals are for Queensland residents,” he said.

But he said his greatest concern at present was the steep incline in local case numbers.

“We went through the last two years where double digits was a concern,” Mr Provest said.

“Now we're up to triple digits. That is a concern.”

Mr Provest said there was “fear in the community” and concerns for “a lack of direction”, he was confident in the capacity of the local health district.

“Obviously it's under pressure but at the end of the day, they’ve done a lot of meetings, they’ve done a lot of research, they’ve done a lot of planning,” he said.

“I’ve always had faith in our frontline staff to cope.

“Even if we do have a surge, I think we’ll be right.”

Ballina MP Tamara Smith has also been critical of the current situation.