SA Health to stop daily COVID update
South Australia will move away from reporting COVID-19 cases each day and shift to a weekly format – ending one of the most high-profile features of the pandemic.
Health Minister Chris Picton and chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Photo: Stephanie Richards/InDaily
On Friday, September 16, SA Health will for the first time issue a weekly COVID-19 update featuring case numbers, deaths and hospitalisations data for the past seven days.
The move will see SA Health discontinue its daily COVID-19 case update, which was often accompanied with daily press conferences from authorities during the first two years of the pandemic.
The shift follows an agreement between all states and territory health ministers and the federal government.
Health Minister Chris Picton said SA Health would still provide additional public health advice when required.
He said the weekly COVID report would be consistent with how other diseases are reported by the Communicable Diseases Control Branch.
“COVID-19 will continue to be a serious issue to be managed in our community and hospitals for some time to come,” Picton said in a statement.
“SA Health will continue to provide additional public advice to the community whenever needed.”
Picton has previously flagged that South Australia is likely to face another COVID-19 wave in November and “continual waves of COVID” into the future.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the decision to move to weekly reporting was in line with expert health advice.
“The move is supported by chief health officers and will ensure high quality, accurate information is provided that sheds more light on COVID dynamics,” he said in a statement.
“This approach will bring national reporting in line with all the state and territories and support the analysis of COVID trends nationally and globally.
“The national report will be expanded to include trends-based analysis and oral antiviral uptake.”
Europe, the United Kingdom and many states in the United States have moved to a weekly COVID-19 reporting model.
South Australia recorded four COVID-19 deaths and 646 cases on Wednesday.
There are currently eight people in intensive care and 90 people in hospital with COVID-19, down from the more than 350 hospitalisations at the peak of South Australia’s winter COVID-19 wave.
Picton said there have been more than 750,000 positive COVID-19 cases in South Australia since the pandemic began.
-With AAP
