Cowra residents are involved in a WNSWHLHD pilot COVID-19 isolation program.
Good news for residents who live in the Cowra LGA in regards to COVID-19 isolation.
The Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) is piloting COVID-19 surveil-lance testing in a number of communities where there are circumstances that could be explained by more widespread testing.
“Surveillance testing is different from what we’ve been doing previously in that we want to test as many people as possible, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not,” said WNSWLHD Chief Executive Scott McLachlan.
“People who aren’t close contacts or who don’t have any symptoms themselves or in anyone else in their household are then not required to self-isolate until they get their results.”
He said the pilot will hopefully answer questions that could be resolved by widespread testing.
Those issues might include detections in sewage testing where there aren’t any known cases; significant community transmission; and known cases where contact tracing hasn’t been able to determine the likely source of transmission.
WNSWLHD is offering surveillance testing in Cowra.
“Testing is available in all these communities and we want to encourage people to come forward to make a contribution to the surveillance testing,” Mr McLachlan said.
“We obviously still need people who have symptoms, or who are identified as close contacts, to be tested. In those cases, people will still need to self-isolate until they receive their results, or in some cases for the full 14 days regardless of their results.”
“If you have been directed to isolate by NSW Health as a close contact you must not leave isolation after being tested, regardless of symptoms or the test result.”
Mr McLachlan said the response to surveillance testing in those locations would be monitored to determine how it could be rolled out across the whole of the Local Health District.