RESOURCES will remain focused on one public COVID-19 testing facility in Ballarat amid a rise in screenings at the Lucas Community Hub this week.
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Ballarat Health Services acute operations director Ben Kelly said testing numbers had been strong at the UFS-led fever clinic and BHS would continue to play a support role to help UFS reach capacity.
The Lucas clinic had been averaging 140 people per day for coronavirus swab tests but on Monday this jumped to 165 in the wake of a slight tightening in lockdown restrictions. Almost 5900 people had been tested in the Lucas clinic from mid-April to the start of this week.
UFS primary care operations manager Danielle Trezise said the onset of cold and flu season had boosted testing numbers and in turn prompted the need for the clinic to stay open longer seven days a week.
Mr Kelly said BHS was working closely with UFS to help meet demand and cut down waits for people booking in for tests. Both said it was the right thing for people to be screened for even the mildest respiratory symptoms and they were working to best enable efficient testing.
"UFS has been doing a fantastic job and we want to support them rather than setting up another clinic - that is our first response," Mr Kelly said.
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Lucas has been the sole COVID-19 testing site since BHS closed its Sebastopol clinic after the state government's May testing blitz.
Victoria chalked up 10 consecutive days with a double-digit rise in new COVID-19 cases, with a further 30 confirmed on Friday.
There has been an increase of 20,000 tests statewide since Thursday, taking the total tests in Victoria to more than 736,000.
Victorian deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen said there had been a 70 per cent uptake in tests for a blitz concentrating on Melbourne's hotspots: Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin shires.
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