A COVID-19 testing regime that has not been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration will be used to collect data in Western Australia amid fears the virus is spreading undetected in the community.
From Saturday, a team of 15 researchers will begin doorknocking at random households across the metropolitan area, requesting people take a COVID-19 test, but participation is voluntary.
About 875 people, a mix of adults, teens and children, will be asked to take part in the study over multiple weekends.
The process will take about 30 minutes and involve a saliva sample being taken, which people can collect themselves.
Saliva samples will be processed using loop mediated isothermal amplification technology on the Sentinel machine.
People will also be asked questions about their age, type of work or study, and vaccination status.
The COVID-19 test has not yet been approved by the TGA as a diagnostic test, but can be used for screening purposes.
Where to get them Free RATs handed out at WA train stations, shopping centres
“This new type of saliva-based test — called a LAMP assay and currently approved for research purposes — has been proven to be as effective as a rapid antigen test,” lead researcher Nick Golding said.
“The test isn’t yet registered approved as a diagnostic test, but we’ll contact anyone who returns a positive result from the saliva sample to let them know they should get a RAT or PCR test.”
The State Government has provided more than $130,000 to the Telethon Kids Institute to conduct the infection study with Curtin University.
The study will span several weekends, with the aim of testing about 875 people in total.
Suburbs to be targeted include Bayswater, Bassendean, Perth City, Belmont, Victoria Park, Cottesloe, Claremont, Stirling, Canning, Melville, Fremantle and South Perth.
Households in those suburbs will receive a flyer in their letterbox.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said it was “the ideal time” for the study to be conducted as the state neared its peak of Omicron.
“We have always suspected that there are more Covid-19 cases in the community than daily testing results show,” she said.
“We know that some people who get Covid are asymptomatic. People who are feeling perfectly normal are probably not going to get xjmtzywtested unless they are required to under isolation rules.
“This research will be another tool for us to better understand the spread of the virus.”
WA’s daily COVID case numbers dropped to 6176 on Friday — compared to 7151 the day before — at the exact time infections were forecast to peak at 10,000 per day.
In the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday, there were 33,101 active cases in WA, of which 134 were in hospital, including two patients that require intensive care. That compares to 122 hospitalised and two ICU the day before.
More than half of the new cases were detected via rapid antigen tests, with some 500,000 free RATs set to be handed out at train stations, university and TAFE campuses, major sports events and shopping centres from Friday.
