Masks, virus tests pour into Australia -sharenews
LATEST HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS ON CORONAVIRUS
WELFARE
* Parliament passed massive economic stimulus package and gave extraordinary powers to social services minister to make further changes to welfare payments if needed
* $550 fortnightly coronavirus supplement extended to students and apprentices on Youth Allowance
* Minister examining what access to welfare foreign workers should have
TESTING
* 147,000 tests done so far in Australia
* Equivalent to 557.9 per 100,000 people - more than 0.5 per cent of the population, higher than South Korea on a per capita basis
* Positive test result rate is lowest of any major country
* 160,000 more test kits recently arrived
* 37,000 tests on order
* Medical panel considering expanding testing criteria further
MASKS
* 1.5 million more masks just arrived in Australia
* 30 million more to arrive within next two weeks
* Further 24 million to arrive by end of April
* Government promised to provide five million masks to GPs by end of June 30
VENTILATORS
* 2000 ventilators available through intensive care unit beds
* Working to make another 2000 available through currently available stock
* Chief Scientist Alan Finkel working on setting up local production to add another 5000 invasive and non-invasive respiratory and ventilator units
TELEHEALTH
* Expanded list of doctors who can access video or phone chat with patients
NUMBERS
* Confirmed cases in Australia: 1914 (government update to come)
* Australian deaths: seven (six in NSW, one in WA)
* Social distancing: one person per four square metres
* Groups over 100 banned
© AAP 2020
Image: Bigstock
