Coronavirus testing has been further expanded in the ACT, as the testing rates in Canberra have more than doubled in the past two weeks.
From Friday, anyone with a sudden onset of a loss of smell, loss of taste, runny nose, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or a loss of appetite can get tested for the virus.
Since testing criteria was expanded in the past fortnight to anyone with flu-like symptoms, the number of people being tested has risen from 94 negative tests per day to 250 negative tests per day.
The figures from ACT Health come as no new coronavirus cases were detected in Canberra in the past 24 hours.
Canberra has gone four days without a new positive test, with the total number of recorded cases remaining at 107.
There is just one active case of COVID-19 in the ACT, while 103 people have recovered from the virus.
There have now been 10,850 negative tests carried out at the ACT's testing clinics.
READ MORE:
- 'Parentline calls increase by a third in virus lockdown
- 5000 calls and counting: Housing ACT helping tenants through pandemic
- Jack high and dry: ACT lawn bowls ban confuses players
While expanded coronavirus testing to anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms was set to run for a two-week period, it will continue for the foreseeable future.
ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman welcomed the increase in testing for coronavirus.
"Testing symptomatic people is an incredibly important tool in our surveillance of COVID-19 in the ACT community," Dr Coleman said.
"We are in a very strong position in the ACT, but the ability to find cases quickly and minimise their potential transmission is a critical part of ensuring our strong position.
"By continuing to test anybody with symptoms we can increase our testing numbers and give ourselves the best chance of finding any undiagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the community."
