Ongoing challenges with COVID
AWimmera public health expert says inadequate testing and reporting of positive COVID-19 cases means officials are not truly aware of the virus’ spread.
Grampians Health chief strategy and regions officer Dr Rob Grenfell said health services were experiencing ongoing challenges in managing testing and case numbers while also reiterating prevention and protection measures and understanding the long-term impacts of the virus.
Victorian Department of Health data shows there were 120 active cases of COVID-19 in the Horsham Rural City municipality as at 10am yesterday.
The data indicated 22 residents of Hindmarsh shire, 41 people in Yarriambiack shire and 108 in Northern Grampians shire have COVID-19.
West Wimmera residents have reported 29 active cases and in Ararat Rural City there are 110 cases.
There are more than 40,000 active cases statewide.
Dr Grenfell said underreporting meant the data was a ‘low estimation’ of actual case numbers.
He said many people, particularly those aged 40 to 60, who had managed to avoid COVID-19 to date were contracting it for the first time; while others were becoming unwell for a second or third time.
Dr Grenfell said a Rapid Antigen Test, RAT, remained the primary tool to detect a positive case of COVID-19.
He said in some cases, people were testing negative because they had not ‘adequately’ completed a test. “There’s a lot of discomfort when you’re putting that swab up your nose, but the important thing is to follow the instructions and sample adequately – otherwise the test result, when negative, might have actually missed it.”
Dr Grenfell called on residents to ensure they were up-to-date with a COVID-19 vaccination, to test if they were experiencing symptoms, and stay home when unwell.
He said people should wear a mask – particularly if socialising with others not from their household, and especially indoors.
He said close contacts were required to take a RAT for five of the seven days of the contact period – or choose to quarantine, undertaking a RAT on day one and six.
“In most cases, if you’re living in a household with a positive case – as we’ve found with Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 – you will catch it. It’s that infectious,” he said. Dr Grenfell said some people – particularly those who were most vulnerable to the virus – might miss out on appropriate care services and access to antiviral drugs if they did not report.
“The antivirals actually reduce the severity of the disease and, most importantly, reduce the need to come to hospital,” he said.
“Many of us have elderly relatives who aren’t very savvy with the internet, so it’s important that all of us are looking out for our elderly relatives, our elderly neighbours and others in our community who we know might have difficulty reporting their positive test – and assisting them to do so – because they are probably a vulnerable person and eligible for the antiviral drugs.”
Dr Grenfell said vaccination remained the best possible protection against COVID-19 – and some of the most vulnerable members of the community were having a fifth dose.
He said while many people were ‘rolling up their sleeves’ to receive a fourth vaccination, health experts were now recommending a booster within three months.
He said the long-term impacts of COVID-19 remained challenging to determine; but societal impacts such as mental health and to the general running of communities, was becoming ‘more evident’.
Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday announced that anyone who presents for a RAT or PCR test at a state-run clinic, including Horsham Respiratory Clinic, in the next four to six weeks would receive one box of 10 N95 masks at no cost.