CANBERRA, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities have called on Australia's federal government to extend its free rapid coronavirus test scheme for vulnerable Australians.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) recently criticized the government's announcement that the free rapid antigen test (RAT) program will be terminated at the end of July.
Under the scheme, which began in January, pensioners and welfare recipients can access up to 10 free RATs every three months from pharmacies.
Fei Sim, president of the PSA, said the move would deter people from testing themselves for COVID-19 amid a winter surge in cases.
"If we cease to provide this program vulnerable people who would otherwise have been able to access free rapid antigen tests will no longer be able to do so," she was quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.
"We're actually just about to enter another surge of COVID-19 and what we need to do now is to actually encourage more testing rather than less testing."
Australia on Wednesday reported more than 40,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 50 deaths.
There were 4,468 cases being treated in Australian hospitals on Tuesday, up from 4,327 on Monday, including 126 in intensive care units.
Defending the decision to end the free RAT scheme, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese advised people to make use of it while they still could.
"We inherited a range of positions from the former government and we also inherited a trillion dollars of debt. And I'd encourage concession cardholders to go and get the 10 free rapid antigen tests that they're eligible for by the end of this month," he said.
"There is still a lot of time to go and do that."
As of Tuesday afternoon, a total of 8,551,884 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 10,385 deaths, and approximately 314,075 active cases, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health. ■