Bendigo Respiratory Clinic | COVID19 testing

The Bendigo Respiratory Clinic is one of the Australian Government GP respiratory clinics being established around the country to clinically assess people with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

Symptoms; such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, a sore throat and/or tiredness. Whilst these symptoms are of concern, most people will actually have another respiratory condition such as the flu.

Covid-19 infections present very much like a flu infection, but is much more serious. People at higher risk of Covid-19 include older people, those in aged care facilities, travelers, reduced immune systems, and those with heart or lung disease. There is no vaccination or specific treatment for COVID-19.

The purpose of the clinic is to provide testing for people who meet the current criteria in their state. People without symptoms should not be tested. Current testing criteria for Victoria can be found at

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/health-services-and-general-practitioners-coronavirus-disease-covid-19

All patients being tested for COVID-19 should home isolate until test results are available. All patients should attend an emergency department if clinical deterioration occurs.

The Bendigo Respiratory Clinic is an Appointment Only facility

testing patients with RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS only.

Info for GPs

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The Facts

What is COVID-19

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections. These can range from the common cold to more serious diseases.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new form of coronavirus. It was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China.

Symptoms

Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Some people will recover easily, and others may get very sick very quickly.

People with coronavirus may experience:

fever
symptoms such as coughing, a sore throat and fatigue
shortness of breath

How it spreads

The virus can spread from person to person through:

close contact with an infectious person (including in the 24 hours before they had symptoms)
contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze
touching objects or surfaces (like doorknobs or tables) that have droplets from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face

Who is most at risk

In Australia, the people most at risk of getting the virus are:

travelers who have recently been overseas
those who have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
people in correctional and detention facilities
people in group residential settings

People who are, or are more likely to be, at higher risk of serious illness if they get the virus are:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions
people 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions
people 70 years and older
people with compromised immune systems

At this stage the risk to children and babies, and the role children play in the transmission of COVID-19, is not clear. However, there has so far been a low rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases among children, relative to the broader population.

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