Contact tracing text plan

HEALTH authorities will triage phone contact with positive Covid cases by prioritising calls with highrisk cases.

As active cases rise above 4000, contact tracers from this week will reach out to some low-risk positive cases via text message, and follow up with a phone call.

Previously, all positive cases were contacted via a phone call rather than text message.

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson said the change would likely apply to all positive cases from this week.

“We’ve scaled up and surged up and we’ve got thousands of people working on our response (to Covid). That said, it’s not infinitely scalable. The team is facing challenges,” Ms Matson said.

Of Saturday’s 535 Covid cases, 62 were linked to known cases and outbreaks but Health Minister Martin Foley said the government expected linked cases to rise.

Ms Matson said as case numbers rose this week, contact tracing and notification of cases would be changed and adapted further.

“We will also be moving to making phone calls first, based on risk. There may be some delays later this week.

“We expect to be sending text messages to all confirmed cases so we can get advice to you as soon as possible.

“The text message does contain information about what to do if you’re unwell.

“We will always be calling you as a positive case to manage and support you throughout your isolation period because you health and wellbeing is really important to us.”

The state government said health officials contacted

99.7 per cent of secondary close contacts of Covid cases within 48 hours of identifying the index case.

Of the contact-tracing system, Western Victoria MP Beverley McArthur said:

“This Victorian system is obviously not working, and no wonder the government feels it has to lock people down. This shambolic system needs to be addressed immediately.”