Doctors and nurses can now test critically ill patients for coronavirus and receive results within an hour.
In an Australian first, doctors and nurses can now test critically ill patients arriving at St Vincent’s Hospital for coronavirus and receive results within an hour.
"At the moment it’s really for those acutely unwell coming in," he said. "When they need airway intervention immediately, to know whether they are positive or negative is essential for their management."It means patients can be moved to either intensive care, a ward for COVID-19 patients or a ward treating other respiratory illnesses, improving their treatment and streamlining the process in emergency.
"This is great at the moment, if we can continue to get the supplies our acute care physicians will be in a really good place." The rapid test is a nose swab, similar to the current workhorse test being used around the country to test people for the virus. However instead of the four to six hour turnaround, associate professor Cunningham said results can be available in as little as 45 minutes.
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