Researchers to COVID test random Perth households in a bid to find undetected cases

Researchers will be door-knocking at random households across the Perth metro area and testing residents in a new study aimed at finding undetected COVID-19 cases.

The State Government has provided more than $130,000 to the Telethon Kids Institute to conduct the Perth COVID-19 Infection Study in conjunction with Curtin University.

Beginning this Saturday, March 19, researchers will visit households on a random basis and ask residents if they would like to do a voluntary COVID-19 test using a new technology called LAMP (loop mediated isothermal amplification).

The test uses a simple, non-invasive saliva sample which people can collect themselves.

As well as a saliva sample, participants will be asked questions about their age, type of work or study and vaccination status.

Results from the research will be used to gain a picture of how much undetected COVID-19 infection is likely to be in the Perth community.

The test is not yet approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a diagnostic test for individuals but can be used for screening purposes

Anyone who returns a positive result during the study will be contacted to let them know they should take a rapid antigen test or get a PCR test to confirm their result.

“We are very close to hitting the peak of COVID-19 cases in Western Australia, so now is the ideal time for this study to be conducted," Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.

“We have always suspected that there are more COVID-19 cases in the community than daily testing results show.

“We know that some people who get COVID are asymptomatic; people who are feeling perfectly normal are probably not going to get tested unless they are required to under isolation rules."

Around 250 households will be recruited to the study every weekend, equivalent to around 800 people per weekend, including adults, teenagers and children.

Households in the targeted areas will soon receive a flyer in their letterbox with details about the study.