Hopefully, you have already had at least two doses of ATAGI approved COVID-19 vaccines. If not and if you have not yet caught it, we urge you to get vaccinated immediately so you and other people close to you can survive it.
At Palmerston Medical Centre, we can vaccinate you so you can survive the COVID-19 pandemic. We also vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 (you need to fill up a form provided by ACT Health prior to your scheduled appointment).
If you are a close contact (with someone known to be infectious with COVID-19) or you have been advised by the government that you are a close contact, or if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you need to get yourself tested, either through your closest COVID-19 test sites or using a RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) that may be available at your local pharmacy.
Most people who test positive for COVID-19 will likely only experience mild symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment or hospitalisation, especially if fully vaccinated. While it is not necessary for you to inform your GP, if you are in the ACT, you need to advise ACT Health.
However, if you are also experiencing worsening or severe symptoms, we strongly advise you to call 000 as soon as possible. You will then be able to access a lot of help from the government until you recover from your illness. Of course, if you also belong to a higher-risk category of patients and your RAT is positive, you should notify your GP about your positive RAT result (call reception and leave a message or make a telehealth appointment).
For self-management of your mild coronavirus illness, please refer to these two guides:
- Managing COVID-19 at home with assistance from your general practice.
- Home-care guidelines for patients with COVID-19 (you can find a list of red flag symptoms in this document)
You are higher risk if you:
- are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated
- are aged ≥65 years
- are pregnant
- have comorbidities, including
- lung disease, such as COPD, asthma or bronchiectasis
- cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension
- obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m2)
- immunocompromising conditions
- have chronic kidney disease
- have diabetes (type 1 or 2)
- have liver disease
- have significant neurological disorders, such as stroke or dementia
- suffer from some chronic inflammatory conditions and therapies
- have significant frailty or disability
- have severe mental health conditions.