The Federal Health Department has conceded 1 million finger-prick testing kits, purchased by the Government at the height of Australia’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, have limited use in diagnosing COVID-19.
Key points:
- The tests were ordered in haste as COVID-19 cases in Australia surged, with a view to testing their accuracy before use
- The Government says the tests are not accurate enough to reliably diagnose COVID-19
- The tests may be used down the track in surveillance of infection in the community
The point-of-care serology tests (POCTs) were being heralded as a cheaper and quicker way of