Kealy: RATS don’t add up

AWimmera politician has maintained her belief that a statewide distribution of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 has been late and inefficient.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said State Government figures for the test distribution remained low and Deputy Premier James Merlino had gone back on his promise of testing twice a week before the school year started.

The State Government plans to deliver more than 15.6-million rapid antigen tests to all schools and early childhood education and care services across the state.

It also planned for twice-weekly COVID-19 rapid antigen testing for the first four weeks of school term one to help keep teachers, students and children as safe as possible from the disease.

Ms Kealy said she was alerted to a lack of RAT tests at her son’s school.

“When we picked up his RATS I was told they didn’t have enough – they only had 480 and they needed 730,” she said.

But an Education Department ‘senior government spokesperson’ said the State Government had delivered enough RATS by the second day of the school term for every school in the state.

Ms Kealy provided figures that showed schools in the Lowan-mallee district had received more than 40,000 RAT tests by February 9.

Schools included on the February 9 list were: Holy Trinity Lutheran College, 5600; Horsham Primary School, 1750; Horsham Special School, 4200; Horsham West and Haven Primary School, 5950; SS Michael and John’s Primary School, 2800; St Brigid’s College, 3150; Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, 3500; Dimboola Primary School, 1400; St Peter’s Lutheran School Dimboola 1400; Nhill College, 4900; Nhill Lutheran School, 1750; St Patrick’s School Nhill, 1400; Kaniva College, 3500; Jeparit Primary School, 700; Rainbow P-12 College, 2100; and Yaapeet Primary School, 350.

Not convinced

Ms Kealy remained unconvinced however, saying the State Government RAT test figures were distorted.

“They might say they have distributed that number, but they are bagged in five,” she said.

“It still doesn’t add up to what they sent originally before the start of school.

“It is great the RATS have been delivered and that means every student can test twice a week, but it should never have taken pop-up media events for the RATS to have come.”