FIFO Worker Tests Positive To Covid As Demand Grows For Pop-Up Clinics To Hit The Regional Ag Shows

Contact tracers are working around the clock in Perth after confirmation a FIFO worker returned a weak positive test to the virus on Wednesday.

It remains uncertain whether the man in his late 30's was infectious while in the WA community, but the exposure list continues to grow with six new sites added overnight to include locations in North Fremantle, Greenwood and South Perth.

The fly-in-fly-out worker was at the airport at the same time as a positive Covid-19 case who flew in from Queensland after their stint in hotel quarantine.

Qantas have since scratched at least eight intrastate flights in Western Australia after Perth Airport’s Terminal 3 was listed as a new exposure site between 4am and 7am on July 20 and between 4.30pm and 6pm on July 27.

Flights to and from Karratha, Newman, Port Hedland, Paraburdoo, Onslow, Kalgoorlie, Broome and Geraldton have been cancelled.

Meantime, Opposition leaders have called on the state government to set up vaccine clinics at Regional Agricultural Shows in addition to the pop-up clinic established for the Perth Royal Show.

With a two-week vaccination blitz set to kick off August 16 boasting increased appointment slots for the Pfizer jab at metropolitan centres, Nationals Leader Mia Davies commented that the Perth Royal Show shouldn't be the only event in WA to have a pop-up clinic.

"What we would ask is that consideration is given to providing a similar scheme to our major regional events, so that our whole state can have access to these increased supplies of vaccines"

- MP Mia Davies

Backed up by Shadow Regional Health Minister Martin Aldridge, walk-in pop-up clinics across the regions would support West Australians who are having to travel hundreds of kilometres to get to an appointment.

"We be far better served as a state if we did more about focusing on key events, like we're about to enter agriculture show season. Why not have pop-up clinics at these shows and actually take vaccines to the community where you know people are going to rock up together"

- MP Martin Aldridge

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