❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the DETECT Snapshot testing program for asymptomatic workers, highlighting its success in finding no positive COVID-19 cases and the collaboration between government and industry.
AnsweredQoN 442Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — DETECT PROGRAM
442. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to the state
government's efforts to suppress COVID-19 and ensure that Western Australia
is well prepared to respond to any outbreaks, should they occur. Can the
minister update the house on the results of the DETECT Snapshot testing
of asymptomatic workers?
442. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the
Minister for Health:
I refer to the state
government's efforts to suppress COVID-19 and ensure that Western Australia
is well prepared to respond to any outbreaks, should they occur. Can the
minister update the house on the results of the DETECT Snapshot testing
of asymptomatic workers?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Girrawheen for the question. It is an
important one, because DETECT Snapshot was an outstanding success, thanks to
the 18 409 workers who took time out to undergo swab testing to help us get a better
understanding of whether COVID-19 was present but undetected in our community.
Finding no positive cases amongst this important cohort within our community
was an important element of increasing the confidence of not only the
government that we have a handle on this disease, but also the community that
our efforts have gone a long way in continuing to manage the outbreak of
COVID-19.
The DETECT program is a great collaboration between industry
and government. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy, along with our friends at
HBF, have done an amazing job in supporting this effort. In fact, HBF, our
state's largest private health fund, has contributed to the running of
DETECT Snapshot, which essentially has provided us with more evidence as we
move to ease phase 3 restrictions and, indeed, into the future. HBF has
committed $2.5 million to the project. HBF's contribution will not only
cover DETECT Snapshot, but also provide investment that will allow us to
undertake other COVID-19 research programs and innovation projects in the
future.
The COVID-19 testing blitz has shown no positive cases. This
testing blitz ran between 28 May and 10 June and focused on particular cohorts:
healthcare workers, Western Australia Police Force staff, school staff,
meatworkers, and retail and hospitality workers, including transport workers
and tourism industry employees. They were invited to undergo what is called
asymptomatic testing, which means that they did not have any of the symptoms
that we know are characteristic of COVID-19, but it allowed us to really test
because we know that some people are asymptomatic. Of the 18 409 people tested,
11 192 were healthcare workers, 61 per cent; 2 197 were school staff, or 12 per cent; 1 852 were retail workers, about
10 per cent; 925 were hospitality workers, five per cent; and 875 were meatworkers, around five per cent also. WA police
staff, transport workers and tourism industry workers accounted for
under five per cent each. The median age of people tested was 47 years.
Interestingly, 72 per cent were female, so, clearly, male members of the
community should have done some more heavy lifting! Just over three-quarters of
the participants resided in the metropolitan area.
The program was a major coordinated effort between public and
private pathology providers, including PathWest, Australian Clinical Labs, Clinipath Pathology and Western Diagnostic
Pathology, and offered as many opportunities as possible to people
within the two-week window. Testing was offered at more than 100 clinics,
drive-through facilities and pop-up clinics throughout the state, and onsite
testing was facilitated at nearly 200 businesses. This was a great opportunity for us to continue to understand the science
that is driving the pandemic. We will make sure that we rely upon that
science and the advice of the Chief Health Officer to continue to guide us as
we come out of our experience of this part of the pandemic. The work that the
McGowan government has done to date under the advice of the outstanding Chief
Health Officer has contributed significantly to the success that we have had in
conjunction with the great efforts of the WA community. I commend all involved.
important one, because DETECT Snapshot was an outstanding success, thanks to
the 18 409 workers who took time out to undergo swab testing to help us get a better
understanding of whether COVID-19 was present but undetected in our community.
Finding no positive cases amongst this important cohort within our community
was an important element of increasing the confidence of not only the
government that we have a handle on this disease, but also the community that
our efforts have gone a long way in continuing to manage the outbreak of
COVID-19.
The DETECT program is a great collaboration between industry
and government. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy, along with our friends at
HBF, have done an amazing job in supporting this effort. In fact, HBF, our
state's largest private health fund, has contributed to the running of
DETECT Snapshot, which essentially has provided us with more evidence as we
move to ease phase 3 restrictions and, indeed, into the future. HBF has
committed $2.5 million to the project. HBF's contribution will not only
cover DETECT Snapshot, but also provide investment that will allow us to
undertake other COVID-19 research programs and innovation projects in the
future.
The COVID-19 testing blitz has shown no positive cases. This
testing blitz ran between 28 May and 10 June and focused on particular cohorts:
healthcare workers, Western Australia Police Force staff, school staff,
meatworkers, and retail and hospitality workers, including transport workers
and tourism industry employees. They were invited to undergo what is called
asymptomatic testing, which means that they did not have any of the symptoms
that we know are characteristic of COVID-19, but it allowed us to really test
because we know that some people are asymptomatic. Of the 18 409 people tested,
11 192 were healthcare workers, 61 per cent; 2 197 were school staff, or 12 per cent; 1 852 were retail workers, about
10 per cent; 925 were hospitality workers, five per cent; and 875 were meatworkers, around five per cent also. WA police
staff, transport workers and tourism industry workers accounted for
under five per cent each. The median age of people tested was 47 years.
Interestingly, 72 per cent were female, so, clearly, male members of the
community should have done some more heavy lifting! Just over three-quarters of
the participants resided in the metropolitan area.
The program was a major coordinated effort between public and
private pathology providers, including PathWest, Australian Clinical Labs, Clinipath Pathology and Western Diagnostic
Pathology, and offered as many opportunities as possible to people
within the two-week window. Testing was offered at more than 100 clinics,
drive-through facilities and pop-up clinics throughout the state, and onsite
testing was facilitated at nearly 200 businesses. This was a great opportunity for us to continue to understand the science
that is driving the pandemic. We will make sure that we rely upon that
science and the advice of the Chief Health Officer to continue to guide us as
we come out of our experience of this part of the pandemic. The work that the
McGowan government has done to date under the advice of the outstanding Chief
Health Officer has contributed significantly to the success that we have had in
conjunction with the great efforts of the WA community. I commend all involved.
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