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Australia PM Morrison Clarifies Covid Rapid Antigen Test Advice
Posted
January 5, 2022
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2:04Now PlayingAustralia will fund rapid antigen tests (RATs) for more than 6 million lower-income earners and welfare recipients as the nation battles a surge of the omicron variant, with more than 64,000 cases recorded on Wednesday.
Federal and state and territory governments will jointly cover the costs of up to 10 tests from pharmacies over three months for those Australians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
Amid a nationwide shortage and skyrocketing prices at retailers, Morrison also said “price gougers” of rapid antigen tests would be penalized by up to A$66,000 ($47,700) in fines and as many as five years in jail should they charge 120% more than what they paid for them. While the health system was under pressure, case loads in hospitals were generally well within their capacity, he said.
"Tests for close contacts and those who are symptomatic, they are free," said Morrison.
New coronavirus cases in Australia surged to record levels on Tuesday, increasing the strain on hospitals and testing centers across the country.
New South Wales Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant urged people not to seek hospital treatment unless absolutely necessary.
“It is important that we all play our part in not placing unnecessary burden on the health system,” she said.
Testing centers were forced to close in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland again on Tuesday either because of staff shortages or because laboratories which process the results are at capacity despite working 24/7.
In Victoria, where one in four tests was positive, 54 testing sites run by private companies closed on Monday.
“They’re disappointed to have to do this but they’re doing a pragmatic thing to safeguard their own systems and to make sure the labs can get back on top of their workload,” Victoria Covid-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar said.
Australian Medical Association Vice President Chris Moy said in hospitals large numbers of health workers have been furloughed after contracting the virus, making it difficult for remaining workers to provide adequate patient care.
“You have this double-whammy of lots of patients and also staff being furloughed at the same time,” Moy told ABC Radio.
South Australia, Queensland and the island state of Tasmania all reported record case numbers Tuesday.
Queensland reported 5,699 new cases, taking the number of active cases in the state past 25,000.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said with around 23% of tests being positive, those numbers will rise.
“The numbers of cases we are expected to see through January will be very high, certainly in the hundreds of thousands, if not more, in Queensland, very high,” Gerrard said.
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