The potential risk of coronavirus spreading throughout Tasmania is being exacerbated by inadequate national testing guidelines and resource shortages, a Launceston doctor fears.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dr Jerome Muir Wilson wants general practitioners to be able to test people who have cold and flu like coronavirus symptoms, but a shortage of testing kits in some areas and pathology collection centre backlogs have prevented mass testing.
"We've seen between 40 and 50 patients in the last three days with cold and flu symptoms," Dr Muir Wilson said on Friday as Launceston Medical Centre introduced new infection control measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
"The only way we can differentiate cold and flu symptoms from the corona symptoms is by a swab [but] we can't test anyone that's got simple cold and flu symptoms.
"The only people we're allowed to test at the moment are return travelers or those that have been in close contact with a coronavirus case."
IN OTHER NEWS
Dr Muir Wilson said he worried there had been more community transmission in Tasmania "than we realise because we're not actively looking for it".
"There is a shortage of swabs across Australia now," Dr Muir Wilson claimed.
"We've spent over $10,000 in the last two weeks buying equipment to keep our staff safe so we can treat people. We've been told there is stock coming from the government and we've been supplied with some surgical masks, but that is the only personal protective equipment (PPE) we have been provided with."
Hobart-based GP Rob Walters was another doctor who acknowledged resource limitations, which he said needed to be taken into account when responding to the pandemic.
While he disagreed with a call to immediately increase testing and said it would be impractical, Dr Walters predicted GPs would soon be resourced to do more testing.
"We've got no evidence that there's person-to-person transmission," Dr Wilson said.
"We had a webinar and a link-up with the Public Health Department on Wednesday and they were asking for expressions of interest amongst practices for training up to take swabs and do the swabs.
"It's not here yet, but it will come."
Tasmanian Health Minister Sarah Courtney said there was no indication person-to-person transmission had occurred in the state and all confirmed cases involved overseas travel.
"There are a range of scenarios that are being looked into," Ms Courtney said on Saturday when asked if GPs could soon be resourced to test for coronavirus.
"We'll continue to work with the federal government who has been taking the lead on the provision of equipment to ensure that we have sufficient resources in Tasmania, and we'll continue to work with GPs on what the appropriate responses are."
Premier Peter Gutwein said Tasmania had enough swabs to meet current demand for tests.
In a letter to GPs on Friday, Australia's chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy acknowledged "extreme pressure" on PPE stocks and he said some parts of Australia had run out of pathology test kits.
"We are doing a lot of work to procure and expand our testing capability," Professor Murphy told reporters on Saturday.
"We don't want people with an ordinary mild cold in Australia to go and get tested. We need to preserve the testing for those who needed it.
"I think we have a very well-prepared health system..."
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.
