FROM midnight today patients in Victoria who return a positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) will be required to report their status to the State Department of Health.
Under changes to pandemic health orders announced by Victorian Health Minister, Martin Foley, people with positive RAT results will be considered as "probable" cases.
Patients will be required to fill out an online form or call the Department directly under the new measures, which will enable them to claim isolation payments and access treatment if their symptoms become more severe.
"What is clear is that we are in a new phase of this pandemic, and a new phase of how we need to respond," Foley said.
"The strategies of the last two years have served us very well in regards to those earlier variants.
"We need, and are, indeed, changing to a whole heap of other new approaches when it comes to how we respond to the Omicron variant.
"Today I will be signing pandemic orders that recognise people with a (positive) rapid antigen test as a probable case, as a new description in the pandemic orders.
"What it will mean is essentially they will have precisely the same obligations and the same rights as someone --- whether it be for clinical support, financial support, from both the State or the Commonwealth."
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