Last week, GPs warned of the growing frustrations across the specialty to obtain PPE to safely test patients for COVID-19 infection.

They were also concerned about dealing with the huge demand coming from patients wanting care, support or advice.

Here, Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy responds, accepting more “sophisticated strategies” will be needed to stop transmission in primary care settings.

New Medicare funding will soon be made available for private pathology to test for the virus, he says. And the government is “actively considering” funding for telehealth for GPs to consult with patients remotely during the outbreak.