THE City of Greater Geelong facilities will cease offering free Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) as The Victorian Government’s Council COVID-19 RAT Distribution Program comes to a close.<\/p>\n
In 2023 the City handed out more than 663,000 free RAT kits at customer service centres, libraries and leisure centres.<\/p>\n
The program, which has been twice extended will end when current supplies run out.<\/p>\n
Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken said the program gave the community quick and free access to COVID-19 testing.<\/p>\n
“This has helped individuals keep themselves and their families safe during and since the pandemic, and has been especially valuable for those with vulnerable family members.”<\/p>\n
“We thank the Victorian Government for providing this program, which has been well received by the Greater Geelong community.”<\/p>\n
RATs are available to all community members while supplies last.<\/p>\n
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker recently advised that it is still recommended to seek a test if you display symptoms of COVID-19.<\/p>\n
According to the ABS 20,755 of the 658,524 death registrations received by the ABS between March 2020 and November 2023 were of people who died from or with COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The underlying cause of death for 16,472 (79.4%) of these people was COVID-19.<\/p>\n
There were a further 4,283 people who died of other causes (e.g. cancer) but COVID-19 contributed to their death.<\/p>\n
RATs are available to purchase from local pharmacies and some supermarkets, while Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests can be obtained by referral from a GP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE City of Greater Geelong facilities will cease offering free Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) as The Victorian Government’s Council COVID-19 RAT Distribution Program comes to a close. In 2023 the City handed out more than 663,000 free RAT kits at customer service centres, libraries and leisure centres. The program, which has been twice extended will […]<\/p>\n