Barwon Health continues COVID response wind down

BARWON Health North is closing its Norlane COVID-19 testing service and has relocated to Beckley Park, where it’s established a new drive-through PCR testing site.

The new testing site will be run by Australian Clinical Labs, the private health firm responsible for similar centres in Torquay, Belmont and Newtown.

Rapid antigen tests (RATs) will also be available at the Beckley Park drive-through, that will also conduct PCR testing.

A Barwon Health spokesperson said the new Beckley Park service will mean its Norlane site can return to providing the usual services to support the health needs of the community including the urgent care centre, renal dialysis, imaging, specialist consulting clinics and other services.

The region’s health provider is winding back its COVID response footprint in Geelong, announcing last month the old Ford factory will cease as a vaccination clinic after a year in operation and transition to a smaller site at South Barwon Civic Centre in Belmont this month.

While Greater Geelong continues to be one of the most vaccinated populations in Victoria, with 95 per cent of people 15 and over having received their second dose, active case numbers continue to average well over 2000 people, some of the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

April was one of the deadliest months of the pandemic in Australia, more than 1000 people dying from the virus, higher than in the first 18 months of the pandemic.

Australia is on track to record 10,000 deaths from COVID this year, making it one of the nation’s top killers.