Health Minister says continued testing is key to COVID fight

Keeping a high rate of testing for COVID-19 is key to the strategy to detect and contain outbreaks, the health minister says.

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A HIGH rate of testing for COVID-19 was one of the most important measures to keep the Tasmanian community safe, Health Minister Sarah Courtney said.

Ms Courtney paid a visit to the Salamanca Place testing site on Monday.

She said continued vigilance and a high rate of testing was a key part of the government strategy to detect and contain and fresh outbreaks.

“If you have any symptoms such as a sniffle, fever, cough, sore or scratchy throat or shortness of breath it’s really important to go and get tested.

“Continuing to achieve a high testing rate is really important to ensure we are closely monitoring, and able to quickly identify, COVID-19 in our community.”

Ms Courtney said the state had ramped up capacity to test and praise both community willingness to be checked and the staff who have carried out and processed the samples.

“I’m pleased to report Tasmania has now delivered more than 83,000 tests – a huge effort,” she said.

“This total is nearly equally split between the north and south of the state, so Tasmanians are to be congratulated for their willingness and proactivity in seeking a test if they feel unwell, but we need to keep this up.”

“Our ability to rapidly identify and respond to any future clusters or cases will help us minimise any transmission.

‘We have new capacity in our labs and testing clinics to respond to testing demand. “

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