Following a review of public demand, four metropolitan PCR testing clinics will be wound down from 15 July, 2022, as Western Australians turn to Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to diagnose COVID-19.
These closures will boost staffing at hospitals by returning 121 full-time equivalents (FTEs) back to their usual workplaces.
The public clinics to close from 15 July are those at:
- Fiona Stanley Hospital
- Armadale Health Service
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
- St John of God Midland Public Hospital.
PCR testing will continue to be available at nearby locations and other sites across WA, with these sites continuing to operate between 8am and 8pm on weekdays and from 8am to 4pm on weekends:
- Royal Perth Hospital
- Joondalup Health Campus
- Rockingham Hospital
- PathWest public drive-through facility in Murdoch (alongside Fiona Stanley Hospital).
Free PCR testing also continues to be available through private pathology clinics.
Between 1 May and 22 June 2022, 303,249 COVID-19 cases were identified in Western Australia using RATs, compared to 178,617 cases identified via PCR testing.
Western Australia is the only State to provide free RATs to residents, and the WA free RAT program has distributed more than 12.9 million RATs to people across the State since its inception.
PCR testing arrangements in regional areas remain unchanged.
More information about the changes to COVID-19 testing is available at HealthyWA.
