Home Testing Delayed Until Higher Vaccination Rates Reached

Many people have been waiting for home rapid antigen tests to be made available in Australia, given their use in other areas like the UK. However, Deputy Secretary John Skerritt from Australia’s medical regulator has revealed that they are still waiting for the federal government to give the green light to begin the approval process.

Professor Skerritt said, “They have to make a decision, you know, when is it less of a big deal to start missing some positive cases, because we know these rapid antigen tests are pretty good, but they’re not as good as the gold standard PCR test.” Currently, only around 52% of the population over 16 is vaccinated. Professor Skerrit confirmed that the delay in rolling out home testing until higher vaccination rates were reached was a deliberate strategy. If Australia can reach a higher vaccination level, above 80%, occasionally missing a positive case due to the lower level of accuracy will be more acceptable.