COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the state had begun to receive several hundred thousand rapid antigen tests from the stockpile of 34 million it has ordered for the coming weeks and months.
He said more orders were expected in “fairly small, modest numbers” in the coming days.
“That has allowed us to start to roll out rapid antigen testing at some of our testing sites,” he said at today’s press conference.
Mr Weimar said about 5500 rapid tests were handed out to those lining up at multiple sites in metropolitan areas yesterday.
They were offered to asymptomatic, suspected cases, allowing them to go home and complete their rapid test there.
Once the state’s free rapid antigen testing system is operating, Victorians who are symptomatic or close contacts of cases will be able to access them at collection points.
Victoria has recorded 21,728 new COVID-19 cases as well as six deaths, as a new self-reporting system is implemented for those who test positive on a rapid antigen test, and density limits return.
Friday’s figures fell slightly short of the state’s daily case record 21,997, set on Thursday. They took the number of active cases in Victoria to at least 69,680, noting authorities warn the numbers are under-reported given the difficulties people have had accessing PCR tests.
NSW has reported 38,625 new COVID-19 cases. Hospitalisations in NSW also hit a record 1738 amid predictions that could rise to 4500 by month’s end.
NSW is set to close nightclubs, ban singing and dancing in pubs, and pause major events and some elective surgery in response to the state’s surging Omicron caseload.
Ms Allan said Victoria had already introduced tougher measures on Thursday, with density limits introduced to hospitality venues, who were also encouraged to cancel indoor dance floors.
“We’ll continue to very carefully monitor the situation here in Victoria but I know the Health Minister is in regular dialogue with his colleague in NSW,” she said.
“We’ll closely monitor their settings and the impact they may be having on helping manage the spread of the virus in the community and we’ll continue to do that in the context of reviewing what’s appropriate for Victoria.”
The acting Premier acknowledged widespread staff shortages across the hospitality industry with daily case numbers in the 20,000s but ruled out a support package.
“We’re not in a position at this stage to provide that support,” she said.
The number of people in hospital with the virus in Victoria rose to 644, and there were 106 people in the intensive care unit. Of those, 58 still have an active infection, and 24 were on a ventilator.
Following on from the announcement Victorians would be allowed to use rapid antigen tests to prove they have COVID-19, a state system for reporting those results was slated to go live on Friday afternoon.
People who test positive for the virus using a rapid antigen test are required to report their result to the Health Department using the system, either online or via a hotline, and isolate for seven days.
Victorians who return a positive PCR test do not have to manually report their result. The change follows a national cabinet decision that the states would no longer require a positive result on a rapid test to be confirmed via a PCR test.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded there would still be lines at PCR testing centres for the next couple of weeks until supply problems with at-home tests were sorted out.
By about 8.20am on Friday, at least 16 PCR testing sites across Victoria were at full capacity and forced to temporarily close. The closed sites included Victoria University’s St Alban’s campus site, the Bourke Street walk-in clinic in Melbourne’s CBD, the Northern Hospital drive-through and walk-through sites, and Springers Leisure Centre at Keysborough.
Listed wait times at other sites varied from 30 minutes at facilities including the Aughtie Walk drive-through at Albert Park, to 180 minutes at St Vincent’s Hospital.
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Revised density limit rules also came into effect at 11.59pm on Thursday, with indoor hospitality venues, including restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs, as well as other entertainment venues, such as gaming venues, now subject to a quota of one person per two square metres.
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25,000 Victorian kids booked for coronavirus vaccine doses
Source: Philippines Alive
