The West Australian health minister has announced ‘fever clinics’ are to open this week for people who think they have coronavirus symptoms.

And in NSW, the chief health officer has advised that hospitals have set up ‘respiratory clinics’ to deal with a potential spike in COVID-19 cases.

Other states are set to open their own versions, particularly if transmission of the virus from person-to-person becomes more established in the community.

So what are these clinics? And why are people being advised to use them, rather than seeing their GP or going straight to the ED?