New South Wales COVID-19 Testing Rates Some Of Highest In World As Australian Coronavirus Restrictions Begin To Ease

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 15: Registered Nurse Laxman Adhikari conducts a nasal swab test in the clinical assessment room at St George Hospital COVID-19/ Flu Assessment Clinic on May 15, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. St George Hospital has been operating a COVID-19 and flu assessment clinic since 19 March 2020. Since being set up in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, approximately 4107 patients have visited the clinic (as of 13 May 2020), an average of 513 patients per week or 75 per day. The COVID-19 clinic operates seven days a week and is staffed by a team of doctors, nurses, admin support workers, wardspersons and cleaners. All patients are provided with education regarding COVID-19 symptoms, home isolation requirements, hand and respiratory hygiene. If they meet testing criteria, a nose and throat swab is collected. Patients who have been tested are given masks to take home and further information on how to register for AutoSMS or NSW Service App to retrieve their results. While testing in Australia was initially restricted to people who had been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case or had severe symptoms, as the country's confirmed infection rate continues to decline and restrictions on social distancing and gatherings begin to ease around the country, Australians with even the mildest symptoms are now being urged to get tested to avoid any coronavirus infection flare ups. In New South Wales nearly 346,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 (as of 14 May 2020), which is one of the highest testing rates in the world. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)