AN easing of new-case numbers in Mildura has offered some brighter news for Mildura amid the present COVID surge, but a lag in test results and the widespread scarcity of self-applied rapid antigen tests have made true numbers a mystery to health authorities.
A total of 44 new cases were reported in the Mildura local government area on Sunday, a welcome drop from figures over 100 in recent days.
Officially, there were 564 active cases in the LGA, although this number lags behind real-time figures provided to Sunraysia Daily by Mildura Base Public Hospital, which has more than 600 people in care.
Victoria recorded 22,041 probable cases through RAT results and another 22,104 cases confirmed by PCR test. There were 146,863 active cases in the state, and another four patients had lost their lives.
Dr Kane Treble, who co-ordinates the home-monitoring care system designed to keep the Mildura hospital from being overwhelmed, said that because of testing lags and shortages, the true number of cases in Mildura was probably well above that known to health authorities.
“A lot of people at the moment aren’t able or willing to wait in line for hours at local testing sites and it’s almost impossible to find a rapid antigen test in town,” he said. “This means the real total is likely significantly higher.”
Sunraysia residents have been frustrated for days by the lack of RATs, forming long lines at pharmacies.
