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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 365 asked in the Legislative Council on 10 May 2022 by Hon Martin Aldridge

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS

365. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:

I refer to the procurement and supply of rapid antigen tests by the state government.

(1) How many tests have been ordered?

(2) How many tests have been received?

(3) How many tests have been distributed from the central stores of the government?

(4) Is the government aware of concerns relating to the inaccuracy of rapid antigen tests, and has the government received any formal advice in this regard?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1) There have been 110.7 million rapid antigen tests ordered by the government.

(2) There have been 97 million RATs received to date.

(3) There have been 32.3 million RATs distributed to support their use in the health system by households and for vulnerable people as at 10 May 2022.

(4) Distribution of RATs by the government has been conducted in line with health advice on the use of RATs. The RATs approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration must have a sensitivity of 80 per cent or above, with many having sensitivities of 90 to 95 per cent when used in symptomatic people. Although RATs are considered to be slightly less accurate than PCR tests, this is balanced by the increasing accessibility for the wider population to an easy, quick and comparatively inexpensive testing approach.