Five new COVID-19 testing teams will be deployed to screen staff and residents in residential services located across Victoria’s COVID-19 Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
Aspen Medical has been engaged by the Department to establish the mobile teams who will collect specimens, with Sonic Healthcare undertaking testing.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck announced the initiative today to help health authorities identify where community transmission is occurring, before there are COVID-19 outbreaks.
Testing teams will begin contacting providers from 16 July.
Providers do not need to contact the Department of Health to arrange for the teams to come on site, mobile testing units will approach services directly.
The testing will be carried out on a voluntary basis and providers will be contacted ahead of the arrival of a mobile testing team.
The five new aged care testing teams are in addition to the in-reach pathology services deployed by the Australian Government to residential aged care providers with a known link to a COVID-19 case.
Media Release – Australian Government Department of Health
