The Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer is urging GPs to strictly adhere to coronavirus testing criteria to ensure the nation doesn’t run out of swabs or reagents for testing.

Professor Brendan Murphy wrote to GPs on Friday to warn that swab kits and other testing supplies were “deteriorating rapidly” as thousands of patients underwent tests.

“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,” he said in a letter to the specialty.

“I am seeking your assistance in strictly applying the Communicable Diseases Network Australia National Guidelines in deciding whether to refer a patient for a COVID-19 pathology test.”