CORONAVIRUS —
TESTING REGIME
580. Hon ALISON XAMON to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the COVID-19 community
testing regime.
(1) Will the
government expand current criteria to enable people who are considered
vulnerable and may be concerned that they have been exposed to the virus but
who do not exhibit symptoms to be tested?
(2) If not, why not?
Hon
ALANNA CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) No.
(2) Those in the
community who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 are identified
by Public Health and have a very
comprehensive interview and follow-up for 14 days after their exposure. If
these contacts develop any symptoms of COVID-19, Public Health arranges testing
immediately. There is no routine testing of asymptomatic contacts; however,
asymptomatic testing is considered in high risk settings—that is, a setting
where there is evidence of a risk for rapid spread and ongoing chains of
infection. Asymptomatic testing has been offered for a limited period as part
of the DETECT snapshot program. The cohorts included in this program were
selected mainly for their involvement with vulnerable communities, frequent
intersection with the public during
COVID-19, or where documented outbreaks have occurred in other jurisdictions.