Victoria coronavirus spike as parents refuse ‘painful’ testing for kids - NEWS.com.au

Parents are refusing coronavirus testing for their children due to it being too “painful”, amid a worrying spike of COVID-19 in Victoria.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the test – which involves a nasal and throat swab – was being denied by a host of residents as Victoria recorded 49 new cases overnight on Saturday, its largest jump since early April.

He said there was now be a “much less painful” option for people to be tested via a saliva sample rather than the back of the throat, in a bid to test as many people as possible.

Premier Andrews also enforced a mandatory 10 days quarantine for returned travellers who refuse testing in addition to the 14 days isolation period – 24 in total.

MORE: Follow live coronavirus updates

“I think that the saliva test will mean that (the 24 days’ quarantine) won’t necessarily be something that we have to do,” Mr Andrews said.

Public health officials have been doorknocking homes in Melbourne’s coronavirus hot spots, including Brimbank, Casey, Cardinia, Darebin, Hume and Moreland, with reports around 30 per cent of people were refusing to be tested.

Premier Andrews said hot spots could be forced under stay at home orders should cases continue to rise.

“If we have to further limit movement in some of those suburbs, so for instance, a stay at home order — much like we all, as a community, had to endure for what felt like the longest of times — if that is deemed the appropriate public health response, then that is what we‘ll do,” he said.

“We’ll do it if we need to.”

Of Victoria’s 2036 coronavirus tally only four are linked to known outbreaks, sparking fears of a potential widespread transmission.

Health authorities are expected to determine by today whether 45 cases currently under investigation are linked to existing clusters.

The Australian Government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, said the latest statistics were of “genuine concern”, though he didn’t describe the outbreak as a “second wave”.

“What we’re seeing happen in Victoria is exactly what was planned when we have outbreaks occurring across the country with the immediate increase in the testing, the activation of the contact tracing to identify individuals who have been in contact with infected people and the very rapid action to get people into isolation and quarantine and to prevent further transmission from occurring within the community,” Professor Kidd said.

“So this is not a second wave. This is an outbreak occurring, and the response is very vigorous and appropriate.”

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2020-06-28 15:22:30Z
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