The first batch of 100 million Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will be distributed to NSW essential public workers and vulnerable communities from this week to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
\nPremier Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government will receive 50 million tests from mid-January to February, with a further 50 million tests being sourced for delivery from February and into March.
\n\u201cWe are ensuring essential workers in our public workforce and vulnerable communities have access to free kits in this first round,\u201d Mr Perrottet said.
\n\u201cThese tests, all approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, will help them to quickly ascertain if they need to self-isolate and ensure support and health advice is provided to those who need it.\u201d
\nMinister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Stuart Ayres said the Government\u2019s procurement teams have worked hard to secure tests that meet the TGA\u2019s robust standards.
\n\u201cThe NSW community has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, which is why we\u2019re able to confidently shift to this new phase of test and isolate.\u201d
\n\u201cThe procurement of these additional rapid antigen tests will support the NSW public sector workforce, support our return to school plan and provide support to those most in need.\u201d
\nHealth Minister Brad Hazzard said the boost to NSW\u2019s RAT supply will help alleviate the pressure on the NSW Health system \u2013 as well as provide protection for our most vulnerable.
\n\u201cMost people should now use a RAT to confirm if they are positive for COVID-19. This allows PCRs to be used when medically required for clinical care, as well as drastically reducing the queues for PCR testing,\u201d Mr Hazzard said.
\n\u201cWhile this is an important step in our management of COVID-19, I urgently remind everyone that vaccination and boosters are the best way to keep hospitalisations down and loved ones safe.\u201d
\nNSW Health and the Department of Communities and Justice will jointly lead distribution of the RATs, with logistical support from NGOs and Primary Health Networks.
\nVulnerable populations will be prioritised, including:<\/p>\n
Critical government settings have also been prioritised to ensure continuity of essential public services, including return to school, health and transport. The first batch of 100 million Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will be distributed to NSW essential public workers and vulnerable communities from this week to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Premier Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government will receive 50 million tests from mid-January to February, with a further 50 million tests being sourced … Continue reading “100 Million Rapid Antigen Tests for NSW”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14470\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPlanning is underway for the rollout of additional tranches of Rapid Antigen Tests in the coming months
\nMore than 42,000 tests are already on their way to 44 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and NGOs supporting rough sleepers and refugees for distribution from tomorrow.
\nThe NSW Government has allocated $250 million to procure the first tranche of 50.1 million RATs.
\nFor more information on rapid antigen testing, please go to<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n