Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said the threat of COVID-19 was likely to be part of life for some time to come.
“The likely emergence of new variants,including those able to partially evade immune responses,means the Australian community can expect to experience new waves on a regular basis for at least the next two years,” Kelly said.
According to the national COVID plan for 2023:“Australia will transition to managing COVID-19 in a similar way to other respiratory viruses,moving away from COVID exceptionalism and bespoke arrangements”.
PCR testing,which remains more accurate than rapid antigen tests,will no longer be used as a surveillance tool like it was during the lockdowns of 2020-2021,but will instead be targeted to allow eligible patients faster access to antiviral treatments.
“There will be an ongoing need to evaluate and optimise how we test,who we test and when we test people for COVID-19 over the course of 2023,” the plan said.
“Over the next 12 months,COVID-19 testing requirements will be aligned with testing arrangements associated with other respiratory illnesses.”