Only one in two Australians would test if they had mild COVID-19 symptoms: ABS

Concerning statistics given the current situation in South Australia.

Only 53% of Australians would definitely get a COVID-19 test if they woke up with mild symptoms of a respiratory infection, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The likelihood of someone getting a COVID-19 test increased if symptoms were more severe, the latest Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey – which was conducted from 16 to 26 October – showed.

“Over four in five Australians (85 per cent) reported they would definitely get a COVID-19 test in these circumstances,” ABS Head of Household Surveys, Michelle Marquardt, said.

The most common reasons reported on why people might not get a COVID-19 test were if the symptoms were thought to be unrelated to COVID-19 (61%) or were not serious enough (44%).

Will the Adelaide cluster reverse some of these beliefs?