Almost 300,000 Rapid Antigen Tests will be distributed to thousands of people with disability and their support workers to help prevent their exposure to COVID-19.
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the testing kits were a vital part of protecting people living and working in disability funded residential settings.
“Protecting people with disability is important because they can often be at greater risk of developing more serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“This distribution of testing kits underpins the NSW Government’s priority of protecting the most vulnerable members of the community while the pandemic continues to pose a risk.”
This initiative supplements the rollout of Rapid Antigen Tests to NDIS participants announced on 4 February 2022 by the Commonwealth Government, which holds the primary responsibility for supporting the disability sector.
The testing kits will be distributed to almost 9,000 people with disability and their support workers by staff in NSW Health Local Health Districts working with disability service providers.
“Local Health Districts staff engage with disability service providers on a regular basis and are well placed to distribute these tests for people with disability and their support workers,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones added.
“This roll out will help ensure that people with disability can be supported safely at home, and reduce the risk of infections spreading as well as the potential for hospital admission.”
The Department of Communities and Justice is working closely with NSW Health to identify and support priority groups, reflecting the joint effort to support vulnerable and at risk sections of the community across the health and human services sectors.
People with disability can also purchase testing kits using their NDIS plan funding or access their free allocation from community pharmacies available for those who hold Commonwealth Health Care or Concession Cards.