On Sunday it was revealed that more than 400 patients who had been swabbed from 22 to 23 December had been mistakenly sent negative test results. Testing facilities across the state have been overwhelmed in the face of the outbreak patients are routinely waiting 72 hours to receive results, with some reporting waiting times of well over 100 hours.ġ19 hours! 4cyte results are n.e.g.a.t.i.v.e #covid #allowedout /iBLueiPXVj- OFoibles December 27, 2021 The increase in positivity is not consistent with the narrative that inappropriate or unnecessary testing is what’s driving the long lines,” Baxter said.īaxter also said an increase in the positive test rate could be due in part to rapid antigen tests having detected asymptomatic cases, which were then confirmed by PCR tests. “It does however mean people are using the service appropriately. Head of the University of Melbourne’s school of population and global health, prof Nancy Baxter, said while the increased positive test rate did indicate a level of undetected viral spread, it was difficult to know the extent. While the state has recorded its highest positive test rates since the start of the pandemic, Martiniuk said it was important to keep in mind the slightly lower testing numbers over the Christmas weekend. Provided testing turnouts are consistent, the higher the positive test rate climbs, the greater the extent of undetected spread of Covid.
“When there is a high test positive rate, the number of confirmed cases is likely to be only capturing some of the true number of cases.” The timing of the uptick in test positivity corresponded with the lifting of restrictions in conjunction with the arrival of the Omicron variant and holiday socialising.