Testing remains critical in our fight against COVID-19. It is the only way we know where the virus is, how it’s spreading and how to stop it. It is just as as important now as when the virus first landed, but is now more comprehensive, covering screening of overseas arrivals, aircrews and front-line workers, as well as those in high-transmission workplaces and those vulnerable to severe infection.
Testing should be uniform and meet a minimum standard.Credit:Joe Armao
When there was the first hotel quarantine breach in Adelaide in November, there was no agreed national standard on worker testing. Weekly testing was hastily agreed soon after. I called for daily testing of all quarantine staff and subsequently the Victorian government also announced daily testing in the reset hotel program in Victoria. But Queensland has now been caught out with their weekly testing – a hotel worker has tested positive after spending four days infectious in the community. Let’s hope all states follow Victoria on this one.
We also do not know the source of the northern beaches cluster in Sydney, but investigations into this, and a second crossover involving ground crew transferring overseas travellers, highlighted cracks in our international border security. The management of aircrews is now tightened with supervised quarantine and testing, and pre-flight testing of all incoming travellers is also finally on the table.
Testing not only helps track the virus and monitor infections among travellers in transit and in quarantine, but plays a key role in acquisition investigations featuring more frequently in the management of community transmission. We started to see more of this in the late stages of the second wave in Victoria as the public health response was strengthened and case numbers dropped; sometimes with success, sometimes not.
