Testing everyone is key to limiting COVID-19 deaths: Macquarie University
The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and local councils were looking to roll out mass testing in Melbourne’s north and west, but this was disputed by the state’s testing commander (see...
With Victoria’s second wave seemingly at an end – but other countries experiencing a growing number of COVID cases – Australian researchers have concluded the best approach to tackle the pandemic is simply to test everyone. The study by Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite (pictured above) and the team at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI), looked at the pandemic preparations, the public health measures implemented and the testing regimes of 40 countries around the world between March and April. The results showed Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand and Iceland had the lowest cumulative death rates. They also had the highest rates of testing of anyone who wanted a test – regardless of their vulnerability.
“These countries made sure that everybody who needed a test could easily get one, and they put in place, or already had, a robust system for managing the infection,” the Professor said.
US well-prepared – but leadership failed
Interestingly, the study found that the United States had the best pre-pandemic capacity to respond to the virus because of the systemic responses developed by the country after the 9/11 attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda in 2001 and its establishment of institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The US could have handled COVID-19 absolutely fantastically and led the world,” Prof Braithwaite said. “Unfortunately, in 2020 it did not have the leadership from the White House to put that into practice.”
The US, along with the UK and Sweden, delayed public health measures which resulted in higher death rates. Countries such as Italy, Iran and Spain, which had poor disaster preparedness and were also slow at putting public health measures, also had relatively high death rates.
Policy-makers must balance narrow and mass testing
As we reported here, aged care workers in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria are being subjected to regular asymptomatic testing – but this is still limited compared to mass testing. The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and local councils were looking to roll out mass testing in Melbourne’s north and west, but this was disputed by the state’s testing commander (see the Victorian update). Until a vaccine is available, Professor Braithwaite says Governments will have to find a balance between these two kinds of testing.
“The pandemic isn’t going away so to keep death rates low, countries will have to balance their economy – keeping it reasonably open so people can lead satisfying lives, with a very good regime for testing,” he says.
