Coronavirus Australia: Testing criteria broadened in every state and territory

From frontline workers to random samples of the population, the government has announced new testing criteria and “surveillance” in every state and territory.

The COVID-19 testing criteria in Australia has been significantly expanded from returned travellers, suspected cases and close contacts to anyone showing minor symptoms of respiratory illness.

“National Cabinet was informed today that every single jurisdiction, every state and territory has now broadened their testing criteria from today,” Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy told reporters in Canberra this afternoon.

“Some did it earlier.”

Any person in Australia showing acute respiratory symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, runny nose, cold or flu-like symptoms can get tested for COVID-19.

CMO Professor Brendan Murphy. Picture: Gary Ramage

“This will significantly expand the population of people tested,” Prof Murphy said.

“We're pretty confident that most of them will be negative, but this will give us a really broad reach of what we call passive surveillance.

“But we're also looking at a range of active surveillance mechanisms to test even people without symptoms in a range of frontline occupations and a range of what we call sentinel situations, where we sample the population.”

He said state and territory leaders at National Cabinet had made clear they want to be “absolutely confident” that Australia is in a position to detect community transmission “of any significance” before relaxing any social distancing and gathering restrictions.

The CMO said he wants to see 40,000 to 50,000 Australians tested each day to “avoid having a situation” like the United States or European countries such as Spain and Italy experiencing up to thousands of deaths daily.

“That’s why we’re putting in place the world’s best testing and public health surveillance regime before we relax any measures,” he said.

“No Australian wants to see hundreds of people dying a day from coronavirus. We are not prepared to see that.”

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Related: National tally: Coronavirus cases in Australia

NSW is leading the country in the race to ease restrictions by upping the number of coronavirus tests administered each day to 8000.

Earlier on Friday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that the increase in testing is part of the government’s wider plan to reopen the state.

“I want to stress today that I’m very pleased to announced NSW is now saying to anybody across the state, if you have symptoms, if you are worried you have COVID-19, if you have been in contact with anyone and you are concerned you have the disease, please come forward and get tested,” she said.

“We are increasing the testing to include everybody across the state, not just those who work with vulnerable people, not just those who live in those high-risk areas where we have had clusters but anybody across our state who has symptoms, who’s concerned they might have it, who has been in contact with someone who’s had it and especially those who work with vulnerable communities or are in close contact with many people, please come forward and get tested.

“We want to see the number of tests go up above 8000 everyday.”

In the past 24 hours, NSW tested 7200 people and had only seven new cases. The state’s death toll from the virus has reached 34 after a 79-year-old woman died at Anglicare’s Newmarch House early on Thursday morning.

It follows the death of a 92-year-old woman on Tuesday, and earlier deaths of a 93-year-old man and 94-year-old man.

Beaches in the eastern suburbs remain closed but Bondi Beach is expected to reopen with some restrictions after Anzac Day. Picture: Toby Zerna

In outlining the government’s plans to ease social distancing restrictions, Ms Berejiklian warned that lifting restrictions will involve some give and take.

“Part of that strategy is increasing the number of testing, making that more available to everybody across the state but also making all of us aware that if we do consider going forward in the future with lifting restrictions we also have to be prepared to practice social isolation because we know that cases will go up and people will need hospitals.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters on Thursday that any movement on easing restrictions could drastically increase Australia’s death toll if not managed carefully.

He said complacency could lead to Australia being exposed to soaring death rates sweeping Europe and the US.

Mr Morrison said Australia’s impressive numbers paved the way for a gradual relaxing of social and economic restrictions.

“But let’s not get complacent while our numbers are good,” he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says 7200 tests were conducted on Thursday with only seven new cases. Picture: Joel Carrett/AAP

European nations with smaller populations than Australia show the disease’s devastating capacity.

Among major developed countries France has a mortality rate 100 times of Australia, while in the US the figure is 50 times worse.

“This can happen in Australia if we’re not careful,” Mr Morrison said. “That is why Australians and our governments have been so careful to balance the needs to get our economy back to a COVID-safe level.”

Prof Murphy yesterday told a Senate inquiry Australia faces a permanent risk of a second wave of infections.

Federal and state leaders will undertake a critical review of economic shutdown and social distancing measures in three weeks.

Prof Murphy said international border restrictions would be the last measure eased, with the issue unlikely to be considered for three to four months.

Some elective surgeries have been restarted, while state and territory governments have put in place measures to return students to classrooms. Australia is also pushing for the World Health Organisation to be handed the same powers as weapons inspectors to deal with future pandemics.

Mr Morrison has lobbied US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emannuel Macron over the issue.

More than two-thirds of the 6600 people who have been infected in Australia have recovered.

— with AAP