In another sign that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the WA Health Department has called time on its COVID-19 home monitoring program.
Known as WA COVID Care at Home, the program went live in late January this year and cared for more than 17,000 COVID-positive patients who were at higher risk of serious illness and hospital admission due to medical and social factors.
It used technology from CareMonitor – a Sydney-based health tech start-up company — to provide a virtual care home monitoring system.
The WA Health Department announced recently that the program would end next week, on December 31, after the last intake of patients was accepted on November 30.
Time to move on
The department said the State now had stronger protection against serious illness from COVID due to very high vaccination levels, prior infection, access to antiviral treatments and enhanced medical and public understanding about how to manage the risks.
Of the 17,000-plus Western Australians monitored under the program, less than 4% ended up needing to go to hospital.
The department said that with the recent end of WA’s State of Emergency powers, the winding up of WA’s COVID Care at Home aligned with the State’s transition to manage COVID through ongoing public health measures, vaccination and targeted testing processes.
These would be supported by strong public health messaging to:
- stay home and get tested if you have COVID-like symptoms
- register your positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result on HealthyWA
- stay up to date with vaccinations
- wear a mask if you can’t physically distance from other people
- wash or sanitise hands regularly.
Don’t forget the antivirals
WA Health now strongly encourages people at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to plan ahead and consult their GP or specialist for advice on their eligibility for prescription treatments such as antiviral medications and to develop a care plan.
At-risk people are advised to see their GP immediately after testing positive for COVID because they might be eligible for antivirals, which need to be taken within five days of symptoms starting but can only be prescribed once people tested positive.