SA Health says complete exposure lists, Covid patient interviews not ‘practical’

SA Health will no longer be interviewing everyone who catches Covid or listing every exposure site as the state’s infection rate continues to gather pace.

Rapidly rising numbers of Covid positive cases in the community mean it is no longer “practical” to list every potential exposure site or to interview every person who has contracted the disease, according to a new directive from SA Health.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said the changes were aimed at “reducing the impact of Covid on vulnerable people and saving lives, as opposed to eliminating the spread of the virus’’.

“The rapid rise in the number of cases in South Australia means that it is not practical to list every site where every positive case has visited, and we have changed the way we report public exposure locations accordingly,’’ Prof Spurrier said.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier. Picture: Emma Brasier

The new approach means that exposure sites will only be publicly listed if they are in a “high-risk setting’’.

“Low risk settings such as large indoor spaces, for example supermarkets, and outdoor settings will not be publicly listed,’’ Prof Spurrier said.

SA Health has been criticised for delays of up to 10 days before listing exposure sites where Covid-positive people had visited.

Prof Spurrier said on Sunday that 48 aged care sites had been identified as exposure sites and there were eight additional sites where transmission had occurred.

She said 35 aged care staff had tested positive and 16 residents.

There were also 32 disability sites which had been identified as exposure locations and another four where transmission had occurred, including one which was specifically for Aboriginal clients.

She said there were 40 staff and clients at disability sectors that had tested positive.

Prof Spurrier said not all positive cases in the broader community would now be interviewed by contact tracers.

Anyone who tests positive to Covid will receive two text messages. One with instructions on how to quarantine and the second a questionnaire.

SA Health will determine from those answers which “high risk’’ people it needs to interview.

Originally published as SA Health says complete exposure lists, Covid patient interviews not ‘practical’