COVID-19

Home monitoring kits to be delivered to covid-positive South Australian’s from next week

SA Health says home-monitoring kits will be delivered to covid-positive South Australian’s from next week.

Premier Steven Marshall and Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick addressed the South Australian public this morning in regards to SA’s covid-ready plan, stating that home-monitoring kits will be delivered to covid-positive South Australian’s from next week.

This comes following the announcement that SA’s borders will go ahead with re-opening on Tuesday, 23rd November.

As part of SA’s covid-ready plan, a state-wide program to deliver home testing kits to South Australians will be implemented from next week, with a virtual monitoring program to be introduced to keep covid-positive members of the community safe at home.

These kits will monitor oxygen and temperature levels with the data being sent back to SA Health, and will be supported by a phone call from a member of SA Health each day to check up on symptoms. They’ll continue this contact as part of home monitoring for the fourteen days of quarantine.

Premier Marshall says not to panic if you test positive but to stay in your own home and wait for advice from SA Health, who’ll then refer you to their covid response team. They will then manage the covid-positive person and all in close contact, with all data to be uploaded on the SA Health app that will launch on Tuesday.

“The HealthCheckSA app will act as a toolkit and include a testing and quarantine schedule to help plan and manage time spent in quarantine, with multiple randomised location check-ins, daily symptom checks and health and wellbeing resources”, he says.

The 24/7 dedicated hotline will support those in home quarantine, so they don’t need to unnecessarily go to an emergency department. Once the fourteen days of quarantine is completed, it’ll be then ok to return to work, with the necessary support papers provided.

“These extra supports are another enabler for us to safely open up our borders, and in doing so reunite South Australians with family, friends and colleagues from interstate while further protecting local jobs and boosting our already strong economy”, Premier Marshall said.

The Toms Court Facility will still be open for those who aren’t able to isolate in their own place, with Dr Kirkpatrick saying 85% of people should be able to safely stay at home.

She says if one family member tests positive, the whole family is likely to test positive too, with household transmission the largest risk facto of getting covid. This means it’s important for families to stay together at home if there is a positive case within the household.

Dr Kirkpatrick says it takes two weeks for the virus to clear, at which time it will be safe to return to normal duties.

She reassured the community that there will be enough kits for everyone who needs one.

She says that in the event there is a large number of cases, an automated text service will be used to notify people if they are a positive case.

The expert team who have been working in the medi-hotels will be the same team that will form the basis of the covid response team for at home isolation.

All visitors to SA must be fully vaccinated, unless an exemption is obtained, the same goes for leaving and returning to SA.

As of this morning, 15,000 people have successfully gone through the entry check portal to come into South Australia.

Premier Marshal says the government has committed over $120million to create the equivalent of 400 beds in SA hospitals so that they are prepared, with half of these to be in place from next week.

Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade has said that significant planning has been undertaken in preparation for when the borders reopen, ensuring people with COVID-19 can be safely managed at home.

“We anticipate that around 85 percent of positive COVID-19 cases will be safely supported through home-based care and monitoring through the new HealthCheck SA app, freeing up beds in our hospitals for more acutely unwell patients”, Minister Wade said.

Earlier this week, Premier Marshall said that the borders will go ahead with re-opening as of Tuesday 23rd November, with all of Victoria and NSW now above the 80% LGA rate required for entry into SA, with Byron Bay the only city below par.

Those entering from NSW, Victoria and the ACT will be required to have a covid test in the 72 hours prior to their arrival.

A daily symptom check for 14 days via a phone app will then be required.

People coming from an area with an LGA of 80-90% will also need a test on their arrival.

As of next Tuesday, overseas travellers to the state will have their quarantine time reduced from two weeks to seven days.

Entry checks are now live, allowing people to go online and fill out their details to find out what category they are in regarding what restrictions will be in place.

A print out of your vaccination record from your GP is also an acceptable substitute to provide proof of vaccination against covid.

Vaccination checks will be available from this week, with people being able to use a QR code to prove their vaccination status.

If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, please seek testing as soon as possible.

Find your nearest testing site at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDtesting

More information, including exposure sites is available at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDcontacttracing

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