Australians are being warned about a potential rapid antigen test (RAT) trap with some outlets selling unapproved kits. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved more than 30 different tests for use in Australia that meet the country’s safety and effectiveness requirements. RATs that fail to pick up at least 80 per cent of positive cases…
Vic Labor Government Funds RATs Manufacturing in Australia
The Victorian Labor Government has promised that the state will support locally manufactured rapid antigen tests (RATs) for secure supply in the midst of the Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s campaign for free RATs manufactured in Australia. The Labor government released a statement on Feb. 2 stating that the government will support a manufacturing facility…
Australian Federal Police Launch Investigation Into RATs Price Gouging
The Australian Federal Police has launched an investigation into rapid antigen test (RAT) price gouging and has warned that individuals and businesses selling COVID-19 tests for more than 20 percent of the original retail purchase rate will face five years’ imprisonment or a $66,000 fine. AFP Assistant Commissioner Crime Command Nigel Ryan said there would be…
Australian Telehealth Services Restored to Meet Pandemic Demands
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) announced that telehealth consultations would be restored temporarily to meet healthcare demands during the Omicron outbreak. AMA President Omar Khorshid said in a media release that Health Minister Greg Hunt and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had endorsed the AMA’s proposals on Jan. 16 to restore expanded patient access to telehealth. “The AMA…
British Company Pulls COVID-19 Testing Product Off Market Following Drop in Effectiveness
Britain’s Avacta Group has temporarily halted sales of its COVID-19 lateral flow test, according to a statement released Monday, in order to replace the antibody in the device and ensure that the effectiveness of detecting the Omicron variant is on par with that of previous strains. Avacta, based in Cambridge, has since lost a third…
Reporting of Positive RAT Results Now Mandatory in Australian State
The Victorian state government has made it mandatory to report positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results to the Department of Health through phone or online from Jan. 7. People who receive a positive RAT must report it, immediately isolate for seven days, and notify their contacts. “It’s important to remember that turning up positive on…
QLD To Issue 18 Million RATs
The Queensland government has secured 18 million state rapid antigen tests (RATs) to be provided for free from public testing sites to people classified as close contacts. This includes 12 million at-home tests and almost 6 million point of care tests. At-home Rapid Antigen Tests will be provided from public test sites, free to close…
Queensland Govt to Issue 18 Million Rapid Antigen Tests
The Queensland government has secured 18 million rapid antigen tests (RATs) to be provided for free at public testing sites to people classified as close contacts. This includes 12 million at-home tests and almost 6 million point of care tests. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the supply would support new national protocols for close contacts…
Australian PM Dismisses Free COVID-19 Tests Amidst Pressure
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has asserted the government will not be making rapid antigen tests free, despite growing calls from the Labor government to make them available for everyone. Following widespread shortages of the rapid tests and large queues at PCR testing clinics across the country, the prime minister said the tests wouldn’t be…
NSW Cuts Quarantine Time for Health Workers Amid COVID-19 Testing Backlog
New South Wales (NSW) has reduced the quarantine time for healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19, cutting it from 14 days to seven in a bid to better cope with rising hospitalisation and ongoing mass testing. Around 2,000 health workers have been furloughed due to quarantine requirements around close contacts. NSW Health issued a statement on…
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