The Department of Health has launched an advertising campaign encouraging Victorians to see their cold symptoms as possible COVID-19 symptoms.
Minister for Health, Martin Foley said the new campaign Only a test can tell aimed to drive up testing numbers across the State and would run across all media platforms.
“It will run indefinitely,” Mr Foley said.
“Data shows that even 18 months into this pandemic, many people still assume that their cold and flu symptoms are not related to COVID-19 and less than half the number of people who experience cold and flu symptoms get tested,” he said.
“The campaign is about building community awareness of when to get tested, so people can act as soon as any symptoms appear and take the early steps needed to avoid being infectious out in the community.”
Mr Foley said there were multiple mystery cases in Victoria’s current COVID-19 outbreak, which meant getting tested was one of the most important things people could do to help fight the virus’s spread.
The Minister said that, with about 30,000 tests processed each day over the past few days, he knew the State could do better.
“What we need from this testing campaign is for Victorians to see their cold symptoms differently – to not ignore them or shrug them off as nothing, but to see their similarity to coronavirus symptoms and get tested,” he said.
“We’re imploring every single Victorian to come forward and get tested if they have the slightest of symptoms – whether it’s a headache or a slight sniffle – you may not think it’s coronavirus, but only a test can tell.”
He said testing was the State’s short-term way out of the outbreak, while vaccination was its long-term way out of the pandemic.
“There are a million things that we miss while we’re in lockdown – and each of those is a reason to get vaccinated,” Mr Foley said.
Further information on virus testing sites can be accessed on the State’s COVID-19 information website at this PS News link.
