Friday 3 April 2020

The End of the Beginning in Canberra?

From https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-03/random-coronavirus-testing-begins-in-canberra/12119364


The ACT will begin "actively looking" for community transmission of coronavirus in Canberra, allowing a random sample of ineligible people to be tested for COVID-19 each day.

Key points:

  • There are now 91 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canberra, after four more were added to the tally
  • A random selection of people who do not meet testing criteria will be tested at two Canberra locations
  • One confirmed case remains under investigation due to its unknown origin

Announcing four more cases of COVID-19 in the ACT, chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said testing would be expanded, as fewer returning overseas travellers and close contacts were being tested each day.
From Monday, a random selection of people who present at Weston Creek Walk-In Centre and the drive-through facility set up at EPIC, but do not meet the testing criteria, will be tested anyway.
"We are able to do this because there is a decrease in demand for testing from returning travellers and known contacts of confirmed cases," Dr Coleman said.
"We are actively looking for evidence of community transmission in Canberra."
More than 5,000 tests have been conducted in Canberra so far

Canberra has a population of 400,000, so this is a rate of 1 in 80. When we get a rate of 1 in 10, with retesting, we may have a handle on the situation, so can be more confident in what we're doing.

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