Coronavirus: At a glance – 16 March
GPs asked to stick to guidelines as test shortages loom, anyone entering Australia to self-isolate for 14 days and research shows two-thirds of those with coronavirus are infectious before symptoms show
GPs asked to stick to guidelines as test kits shortages loom
Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has written to GPs urging them to stick to guidelines on COVID-19 testing, saying a worldwide shortage of testing kits has developed.
A global shortage of COVID-19 testing kits is hitting Australia with kits are no longer available in some parts of the country and large backlogs in pathology appointments at a number of places, warned Professor Murphy.
“Unfortunately, the extreme pressure on our personal protective equipment stocks continues, and the situation regarding pathology test kits, reagents and swabs is deteriorating rapidly, with kits no longer being available in some regions of the country.”
