Australians will need a doctor’s referral for a PCR test at a private pathology clinic from next year, but will still be able to get tests at state-run clinics and hospitals.
Australians will need a doctor’s referral for a PCR test at a private pathology clinic from January 1 next year as Australia moves away from “COVID exceptionalism” even as the nation’s chief medical officer predicted regular waves of the virus for at least two more years.
“The likely emergence of new variants, including those able to partially evade immune responses, means the Australian community can expect to experience new waves on a regular basis for at least the next two years,” Kelly said. “There will be an ongoing need to evaluate and optimise how we test, who we test and when we test people for COVID-19 over the course of 2023,” the plan said.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the government’s priority is to minimise the incidence of deaths and severe illness.While 72 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have had at least three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the plan commits the government to securing new vaccines in future that could provide protection against emerging COVID variants and other diseases such as influenza.
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