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Novel coronavirus

For up-to-date information on how to manage patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) please see the below links for your relevant state:

New South Wales

NSW Health - Updates   NSW COVID-19 Collection Centres Doctor Information  Patient Information 

Acutely unwell patients should be referred to the local ED, with the recommendation to call ahead.
Clinical Labs are able to collect and receive specimens from asymptomatic and mildly unwell patients.

Testing for COVID-19 in NSW is recommended for a person with fever (≥38°C) or history of fever (eg, night sweats, chills) or acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, shortness of breath, sore throat) who meets one or more of the following criteria:

  • A close contact in the 14 days prior to illness onset with a confirmed case
  • International travel in the 14 days prior to illness onset
  • A cruise ship passenger or crew member who has travelled in the 14 days prior to illness onset

See NSW Health Advice for more criteria.

People without symptoms should not be tested.

Patients presenting for testing must ensure the following:

  • Wear a face mask
  • Notify staff upon arrival
  • Have a physical pathology referral form (Medicare requirement)
  • Where possible contact the collection centre prior to visiting

Information updated 6.04.20 4:42pm EST.

Victoria

COVID-19 Testing & Collection in Victoria

Clinical Labs is conducting COVID-19 testing, and from the 14th of April, COVID-19 Collection will also be available from selected collection centres in Victoria.  Please see below for the current list of COVID-19 testing centres. These centres will be exclusively for COVID-19 collection - no other pathology tests will be collected at these sites. To ensure continued and safe collection services across all of our collection centres during this period, Clinical Labs has implemented the following safety protocols.

 Suburb  Address  P/C  Phone  Fax  Opening Hours
 Geelong 73-79 Little Ryrie Street
Geelong,
VIC 3220		  3220  03 5221 3699  03 5221 3699 Mon-Fri: 7.30AM - 3.30PM
Sat&Sun: Closed
 St Albans 309 Main Road East
St Albans,
VIC 3021		  3021  03 9367 7611  03 9310 8362 Mon-Fri: 8.00AM - 4.00PM
Sat&Sun: Closed
 Bundoora (La Trobe University M/C)
Cnr Kingsbury & Plenty Road
Bundoora
VIC 3086		  3086  03 9470 1056  03 9470 1056 Mon-Fri: 8.00AM - 4.30PM
Sat&Sun: Closed
Glen
Waverley		 3/274 Springvale Road
Glen Waverley
VIC 3150		  3150  03 9561 4863  03 9560 5060 Mon-Fri: 7.30AM - 3.30PM
Sat&Sun: Closed
 Mornington 127 Tanti Avenue
Mornington
VIC 3931		  3931  03 5975 9993  03 5975 2177 Mon-Fri: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sat&Sun: Closed
 Traralgon 10-12 Grey Street
Traralgon
VIC 3844		  3844  03 5174 0285  03 5174 0285  Mon-Fri: 7.30AM - 3.30PM
Sat&Sun: Closed

Patients should arrive to the COVID-19 collection centres with a correctly completed pathology request form signed by their referring doctor (Medicare requirement), and will receive instructions on how to self-collect the sample. If you are running Telehealth Consultations please click here to find out how we can support you with this.

Clinical Labs can receive specimens from mildly unwell patients. Acutely unwell patients should be referred to the local ED, with the recommendation to call ahead.

Criteria for Testing

The current clinical guidelines for testing is as follows:

Testing for COVID-19 in Victoria is recommended for a person with fever (greater or equal to 38°C) or history of fever (eg, night sweats, chills) or acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, shortness of breath, sore throat) who meets one or more of the following criteria:

  • Close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases with onset of symptoms within 14 days of last contact.
  • Travelers from overseas with onset of symptoms within 14 days of return.
  • Cruise ship passengers or crew with onset of symptoms within 14 days of disembarkation.
  • Paid or unpaid workers in healthcare, residential care and disability care settings.
  • People who have worked in public facing roles within the last 14 days i.e. police, firefighters, teachers and childcare workers.
  • Any person aged 65 years or older.
  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Any person in other high-risk settings, including: military, boarding schools, aged care, disability and other residential care facilities.

The criteria for testing is subject to change.

If practitioners wish to collect, it is critical to use only one swab when testing, as there is significant pressure on supply of swabs and reagent kits for COVID-19 testing. Please provide clinical details on request slips so high-risk patients and healthcare workers can be prioritised.

The department no longer needs to be notified about any suspected cases. Only confirmed cases need to be notified to the department. This should be done as soon as practicable by calling 1300 651 160, 24 hours a day. Clinical Labs will be sending specimens to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) to undertake confirmatory testing for COVID-19.

Click here for the latest DHHS information for VIC referrers 

VIC Collection Centre Safety Protocols

Patient COVID-19 Self Collection Guide  

Coronavirus Information Sheet - For Doctors

Coronavirus Information Sheet - For Patients


Information updated 09.04.20 5:46pm EST.

South Australia

Click here for the latest information for SA referrers

No testing should be requested for 2019-nCoV without prior approval by the Communicable Disease Control Branch. To obtain approval and request more information please telephone 1300 232 272, 24 hours a day.

Collection Centres will not be collecting the samples for coronavirus. Samples collected by practitioners will not be accepted by Clinical Labs - please contact the CDCB on the number above to arrange sample delivery to the appropriate laboratory.

 

 

Western Australia

Click here for the latest information for WA referrers

With the increase in Telehealth consultations, Clinical Labs WA continue to partner with you to ensure your patients can access pathology services to complement your care. Our laboratories remain fully operational and we are ready to work with you during this challenging time.

Please click here for further information for referrals for Telehealth patients.

Due to extreme pressure on the consumables required for testing both locally and nationally, WA Health has undertaken to prioritise testing to ensure that the suspect case definition is strictly applied.

Collections for testing for COVID-19 in Perth Metropolitan region can ONLY be performed at COVID clinics, hospitals, other high risk settings (aged and residential care facilities, military operational settings, boarding schools, correctional facilities, detention centres, Aboriginal rural and remote communities) where COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred, where there are two or more people with plausibly linked, clinically compatible illness. In country areas collections can only be undertaken by hospitals, health centres and remote health clinics operated by the WA Country Health Service, Silver Chain, Aboriginal Medical Services or RFDS.

Clinical Labs Collection Centres will not be collecting patient samples for testing for COVID-19. All requests for information on COVID-19 should be referred to PHEOC at pheoc@health.wa.gov.au  or visit health.wa.gov.au/coronavirus.

To speak to a Clinical Labs customer service team member call 1300 367 674

Information updated 08.04.20 12:31pm EST.