Be tested

MEDIA RELEASE

TO: Phillip Island Advertiser, Sentinel Times, Foster Mirror, Pakenham Gazette, Waterline News, Bass Coast Post, The Paper, ABC Gippsland

DATE: May 1, 2020
FOR RELEASE: Immediate

Title: Be tested for COVID-19

BCH has been running two assessment clinics since March 14 at Phillip Island and March 15 at Wonthaggi Hospital. Over 800 people have already been tested at these clinics, with 8 positive test results from the BCH testing clinics – 4 Bass Coast Shire residents and 4 residents who live elsewhere. The most common symptoms of COVID are: fever, breathing difficulties and breathlessness, runny nose, cough, sore throat and tiredness. Diahorrea is another possible symptom.

Following a recent announcement from the Victorian Government, testing is now also available for the following groups of people, even if they do not have symptoms:

• health care workers

• aged care workers

• retail/supermarket workers

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

• construction workers

• people with chronic disease and

• agriculture workers.

  This increased testing is the consequence of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announcing earlier this week a testing blitz to help inform the State Government’s decisions about slowly lifting restrictions, ahead of the State of Emergency being reviewed on May 11.
  It is proposed up to 100,000 Victorians will be tested for COVID-19 before then.

  BCH increased their assessments as soon as the blitz was notified and has experienced an increase in people presenting for testing since the State Government announcement, with 65 people being tested at Wonthaggi Hospital over the past 48 hours (compared to a usual number of 25) and 27 people at the Phillip Island Health Hub over the past 48 hours (compared to an average number of 8).

BCH CEO Jan Child said more testing would help the health service and government to understanding community transmission rates locally. “Please, have a very low threshold to get yourself or your family members or friends tested if they meet the current criteria. Any symptoms should prompt you to be tested, no matter how mild,” she said.

People can be tested at the Phillip Island Health Hub, 50-54 Church St, Cowes, which is open 24 hours, 7 days per week.

Tests can also be done at Wonthaggi Hospital. Any community members who are very unwell should call an Ambulance or attend the Emergency Department 24 hours a day and if they have Respiratory issues, they will be swabbed. The Assessment Clinic, which is in a separate area, runs from consulting rooms inside the hospital and is best for those patients that need a medical assessment. In the past days, a separate portable building has been set up at the front of the hospital to allow people with very mild or no symptoms to have the swab by a nurse without entering the health service. This is a simple swabbing clinic and is available 10am – 6pm, 7 days per week.

We encourage as many people as possible to get the testing to help curb the spread of this very contagious virus which can spread from person to person through:

• close contact with an infectious person (including in the 24 hours before they have symptoms)

• contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze

• touching objects or surfaces (like door handles or tables) that have droplets from an

  infected person, and then touching your mouth or face.

The best way to avoid the virus is through physical distancing, regular hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds, coughing into your elbow or sleeve and staying at home. These are all positive prevention measures that combined with testing, will help curb the virus in our local community.

Registered Nurse, Gabby O’Connor at the new testing site building generously loaned by Tim Burslem of Southern Victorian Contracting. Rob Weinzierl of Riedau Technologies kindly supplied transport to move the shed from Cowes to Wonthaggi.

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