Important COVID update – reinfection guideline changes

Western Australia has adopted new national health advice on COVID-19 reinfection, updating State guidelines to show reinfection from the virus can now occur from four weeks.

Previously reinfection cases were defined as a case which occurs more than 12 weeks after an initial infection.

WA Country Health Service’s (WACHS) Principal Health Officer Helen Van Gessel said the new guidelines mean anyone with new COVID-19 symptoms more than four weeks after recovery should get tested.

“The health and safety of country communities remains our top priority,” she said.

“But we need each individual to play their part too – if you have symptoms, get tested even if you’ve recently had COVID-19 and isolate until your symptoms resolve.

“We are also asking our communities to keep up with healthy hygiene habits we all developed, including hand hygiene, physical distancing and wearing masks indoors when physical distancing isn’t possible.”

WACHS is also reminding Western Australians to continue to register positive Rapid Antigen Tests via www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/ratregister.

The advice follows a recommendation by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and detection of an increasing number of BA.4 and BA.5 COVID-19 Omicron variants in the WA community.

The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are considered more contagious than earlier variants and have an increased ability to infect people who have previously had COVID or been vaccinated.

Vaccinations remain the best protection against severe COVID-19, with fourth doses and winter boosters now available for eligible community members.

For more information on vaccination eligibility visit www.rollup.wa.gov.au