The last South Australian coronavirus patient in intensive care has been discharged to a general ward as health authorities declare an end to a two-week testing blitz.

The last South Australian coronavirus patient in intensive care has been discharged to a general ward as health authorities declare an end to a two-week testing blitz.
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said the 68-year-old man was the last SA COVID-19 case in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s intensive care unit.
It comes as the state records its eighth day in a row with no new cases at the end of a two-week testing campaign.
More than 52,000 South Australians have now been tested for COVID-19, giving the state the highest rate in the nation. In the two-week testing blitz, SA Health collected 19,378 samples and recorded only four new cases.
In total, SA Health has now collected 57,389 samples from 52,267 people.
SA Health said 3.27 per cent of South Australians have been tested for the virus. In NSW it said the figure was 2.62 per cent, Queensland recorded 2.05 per cent, Victoria tested 1.68 per cent and WA 1.39 per cent.
Only 0.02 per cent of those checked returned a positive test for COVID-19.
The state’s total number of coronavirus patients remains at 438, 96 per cent of whom have recovered. There are just 14 active cases in the state with three patients being treated at the RAH.
Premier Steven Marshall said testing had been the “cornerstone’’ of the state’s response to the virus. “It has put us in an absolutely fantastic position,’’ Mr Marshall said.
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A graph showing South Australia’s coronavirus testing figures.
Professor Spurrier said testing parameters would now be expanded again and GPs would be advised to seek coronavirus tests for all patients who suddenly lose senses of taste and smell.
South Australians should continue to seek tests if they experience respiratory symptoms, just as they did during the blitz.
Professor Spurrier and Mr Marshall again renewed calls for Australians to download the Federal Government’s COVIDSafe tracing app, saying it was critical to the national effort to suppress the virus.
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The four-week time frame was the measurement used to open the Barossa Valley this week, after 28 days of zero fresh cases.
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