New call for Australia to change way rapid antigen and PCR testing is conducted
One of Australia’s top infectious disease experts has called for a total change to the way rapid antigen and PCR tests are conducted.
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One of Australia’s top infectious disease experts has called for a total change to the way the nation conducts rapid antigen and PCR testing, as clinics shut and hospitals lose more staff and buckle under pressure.
Professor Peter Collignon, from the Australian National University Medical School, told Sky News Australia that PCR tests should be prioritised for people in hospitals where Covid-19 is a risk to sick people.
He then said rapid antigen tests should be prioritised for nursing homes or high-risk workplaces.
“During winter, everybody who has a sore throat doesn’t run and get an influenza test, even though they might want to know what they have got,” he said.
“I think we’re going to have to be a bit more discriminatory with our testing.
“The reality is that people who are known to be positive need to stay at home, and their close contacts need to stay at home.
“That is because we are trying to reduce the spread to others.”
He went on to say Australians who have Covid-19 symptoms should assume they have the virus and this will help cut the amount of pressure on the testing and hospital system.
It comes as Australia has surpassed a major Covid-19 milestone with the country exceeding 500,000 confirmed cases on Tuesday.
Almost 50 per cent of those cases have been confirmed in the last two weeks.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country on December 21 was 259,207. As of noon (AEDT) on Tuesday, there were 543,839 cases.
Health authorities around the country anticipate the number could be much higher, but issues with testing mean the true numbers are not being recorded.
PCR testing centres around the country are under increased pressure as the Omicron variant spreads, with rapid antigen tests unavailable or too expensive.
The milestone coincides with daily case number records being smashed in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and the ACT.
NSW
Australia’s most populated state surpassed its own daily Covid-19 record on Tuesday, recording 23,131 new cases.
That comes from 83,376 tests in the last reporting period – a positive testing rate of 27.7 per cent.
There are 1344 people in hospital, 105 of whom are in intensive care.
Two people have died in the last 24 hours due to Covid-19.
Victoria
Victoria recorded its first five-digit daily case number on Tuesday, with a confirmed 14,020 new cases.
The state recorded two deaths in the latest reporting period.
There are 516 people in hospital, 56 of whom are in intensive care. Twenty-four people are on ventilators.
There were 60,515 tests in the last reporting period, meaning there was a positive test rate of 23.2 per cent.
Testing centres were forced to turn people away on Tuesday morning as the system faced being overwhelmed by the surge in cases.
Queensland
The Sunshine State recorded its largest daily case number on Tuesday, with a confirmed 5699 new Covid-19 cases.
There were 33,312 tests in the last 24 hours – 23 per cent of which were positive.
There are now 25,920 active cases in the state, 70 of whom are in hospital, including 11 people in ICU.
Queensland chief health officer John Gerrard said if people were experiencing any respiratory symptoms and cannot get a test – due to long lines at PCR testing sites and a shortage of rapid antigen tests – they should assume they have Covid-19 and stay at home.
Tasmania
The island state confirmed a record 702 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total number of active cases to 2244 after reopening its borders last month.
There were 2088 tests conducted on Monday, meaning the positive testing rate is more than 33 per cent.
Three people are in hospital, but none are in intensive care.
Eleven aged care homes were plunged into lockdown on Monday after confirmed Covid-19 cases among staff and residents.
ACT
The capital recorded its biggest daily case number on Tuesday, with a confirmed 926 Covid-19 cases.
There are 13 people in hospital, including one person in ICU. One person is also ventilated.
Tuesday’s case numbers are almost double that of Monday.
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Originally published as New call for Australia to change way rapid antigen and PCR testing is conducted
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