Premier Daniel Andrews has warned stage four restrictions will not be eased if coronavirus testing rates continue to decline, even if case numbers fall.
On Tuesday Mr Andrews revealed a "concerning" drop in the number of people getting tested, as health authorities pleaded for people with mild symptoms to be checked.
Authorities say people with cold or flu-like symptoms are likely to have COVID-19 because the common cold and seasonal flu have "virtually disappeared" from the state.
Premier Daniel Andrews has pleaded with people to get tested.Credit:Simon Schluter
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said Tuesday's 222 new cases were part of a "good" overall trend, but he cautioned people against becoming too complacent.
In the seven days to Monday, pathology labs processed 154,432 tests – a drop of almost 30,000, or 17 per cent, compared with the previous seven-day period.
The decline has been even greater at large-scale testing sites such as shopping centres, where there has been between a 15 and 40 per cent drop in recent weeks despite testing capacity increasing.
Mr Andrews said while it was "logical" for testing rates to come down when people were in strict stage four lockdown, it should "not [be] this much less".
"What I'm trying to avoid here ... is the case numbers come down to a point where we start to think about opening up and what that will look like, only to be unable to do that because the test numbers are too low for us to have clarity about just how much virus is out there," he said.
"Provided people are acting on their symptoms quickly, then the amount of ... symptomatic people will drive the total test numbers.
"So ultimately, you get to a point where the test numbers would be quite low, and that would be a good thing because that itself will be reflective of how much virus is out there, but I don't think we're at that stage yet. There are still symptomatic people out there who are not getting tested."
Professor Sutton said while there was no "magic" threshold for testing rates, he believed more than 20,000 tests should be conducted and processed each day to glean the most accurate information about how widespread transmission is.
Their pleas came as the state recorded 17 deaths, including 13 linked to aged care outbreaks.
There are 7274 active cases across the state, 200 fewer than on Monday.
Professor Sutton said he expected the number of active cases to decline by hundreds each day for at least the next two weeks.
Despite the concerns about testing rates, he said testing criteria would not be extended to non-symptomatic people, warning it was too resource-intensive for too little benefit. He said there was a one-in-5000 chance people with no symptoms had coronavirus.
"I hope we're in the hundreds, not the 200s [for new daily cases] next week, but again it all depends on everyone doing the right thing, including stepping up for testing," Professor Sutton said.
"We're all concerned about the people who might not be so unwell as to need to see a GP or emergency department, or to be admitted to hospital – those are the individuals who might just have the beginning of a runny rose, just a tickley sore throat or the beginning of a cough.
"What I'm here to say is, it doesn't have to be severe high fevers. It might be a very mild temperature. It doesn't have to be days and days of coughs, it can be just the beginning of a cough ... It can just be the very mildest of cold or flu-like symptoms."
When asked if the drop in testing rates was because fewer people were exposed to the virus as a result of strict lockdown, Professor Sutton said testing had become less convenient because people were not leaving their homes as much.
Professor Nigel McMillan, director of infectious diseases and immunology at the Menzies Health Institute, said despite the decline in testing rates, authorities were still conducting a significant number of checks.
"If you look at the testing rate, it's still pretty reasonable. Lockdown is clearly working and numbers keep coming down," he said.
Professor Sutton said social distancing and hygiene measures meant the seasonal flu in Victoria had "virtually disappeared".
About 3000 people die each year in Australia as a result of the flu, which has an effective reproduction rate of 1.5, compared with COVID-19's average rate of 2.5. The level of immunity in the community to coronavirus is much lower than to the seasonal flu.
There have been 438 deaths linked to coronavirus nationwide, with a vast majority in recent weeks as a result of Victoria's second surge.
As part of stage four restrictions in Melbourne and stage three restrictions across the rest of the state, Victorians can leave their homes to get tested for coronavirus.
Employees or sole traders who do not have access to paid sick leave are eligible for a state-funded $450 isolation payment. And those who test positive, or are a close contact, and must isolate for two weeks can access a federal-funded $1500 payment.
What are the main symptoms of COVID-19?
- Fever
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
A patient might also complain of chills, headaches, a sore throat, diarrhea, nausea or a runny nose. It usually takes about 5-6 days for symptoms to appear after someone is infected but 14 days is considered the total incubation period for the virus to emerge.
If you suspect you or a family member has the coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call 000.
Sumeyya is a state political reporter for The Age.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL2xvY2tkb3duLXdvbi10LWVhc2UtaWYtdGVzdGluZy1yYXRlLWNvbnRpbnVlcy10by1kcm9wLXByZW1pZXItd2FybnMtMjAyMDA4MTgtcDU1bXdvLmh0bWzSAYQBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS9sb2NrZG93bi13b24tdC1lYXNlLWlmLXRlc3RpbmctcmF0ZS1jb250aW51ZXMtdG8tZHJvcC1wcmVtaWVyLXdhcm5zLTIwMjAwODE4LXA1NW13by5odG1s?oc=5
2020-08-18 09:39:00Z
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