Australian government was warned about Covid testing overburden almost a year ago

High virus spread could see testing demand exceeding laboratory and public health capacity', officials said in February 2021

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Official government advice prepared almost a year ago warned that widespread community transmission could see testing sites overwhelmed and alternative testing methods", including rapid antigen testing, could help alleviate pressure.

Amid growing criticism of the government's handling of the testing regime in the face of the surging Omicron variant, archived advice shows that health officials were warning federal and state governments of a scenario in which testing sites could not cope as far back as February last year.

A testing framework strategy" prepared by the Communicable Disease Network of Australia (CDNA) and the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) in February 2021 modelled three epidemiological scenarios relating to the transmission of the virus, including one of high community transmission.