COVID-19
Information for health professionals working in South Western Sydney
Updated: 26 February 2021
Find local COVID-19 information for health professionals below:
- Pathology collection & testing in SWS
- Vaccine rollout
- Vaccination information for RACFs
- Information for primary healthcare providers
- PPE
- Collection of nasal & throat swabs - guidance
- Mental health support and services
- Aged care
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander healthcare
- Resources in various languages
- Updates from the office of the Chief Medical Officer
- News, updates & media releases
- Information helplines
- Data: COVID-19 cases in SWS
Updates on COVID-19 can also be found in Practice Pulse
- our monthly newsletter for GPs
Information for primary healthcare providers
NSW Health
Department of Health
- COVID-19 Health Sector Information
- COVID-19 National Health Plan Resources (Factsheets)
- COVID-19 National Health Plan Resources – A Guide for Prescribers
- Australian Health Sector - COVID19 Emergency Response Plan
- COVID-19 infection control online training
Other useful links
- RACGP - COVID-19 information for GPs
- RACGP - Caring for adult patients with post-COVID-19 conditions
- WHO - information & guidance from the World Health Orgnaisation
- HealthPathways - South Western Sydney: COVID-19 pathways
- Accreditation - Responding to circumstances arising from COVID-19 pandemic - 30 March
- Update from ACI - Aerosol generating respiratory therapies - Nebulisers - 23 March
- COVID-19 and asthma
- COVID-19 and heart disease
- COVID-19 and diabetes
- COVID-19 and kidney disease
- COVID-19 and arthritis
- COVID-19 and cancer
- COVID-19 and rheumatology
Updates for primary healthcare providers
Update on PPE risk level in NSW Health facilities (23 February 2021)
NSW Health has advised that all NSW local health districts and specialty health networks have moved to green alert – low transmission. This advice applies to hospital and community health settings. For more information about what precautions apply, visit the COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Response and Escalation Framework.
Screening advice for NSW Health facilities and home care service providers
The COVID-19 advice for residential disability care facilities, residential aged care facilities and home care services in NSW has been updated as at 22 February 2021:
- Advice for aged care services
- Information for disability support providers
- Advice to home care service providers
The key messages are:
- Staff and visitors are not required to wear a surgical mask in a residential care facility located in NSW
- Home care service provider staff are not required to wear a surgical mask during home visits
- There are no restrictions on the number of visitors a resident can have each day or at any one time in residential care facilities in NSW
PPE
Mask distribution in South Western Sydney
Our PHN is committed to delivering masks to practices across all seven LGAs as they become available through the National Medical Stockpile.
If your practice requires masks urgently, please continue to contact your PSO or call us on 4632 3000 to request masks.
Any practices actively testing patients for COVID-19 are asked to contact COVID-19 Response Coordinator Lisa Nguyen at lisa.nguyen@swsphn.com.au so we can flag with the Australian Government Department of Health for future resourcing.
These suppliers currently have stock of PPE for purchase (updated 12 February 2021):
- Australia Post
- Capital Medical Supplies
- Chemist Warehouse
- Eyris Medical Supplies
- HygiMed
- Kmart
- Livingstone
- Medicom
- National Health Australia
- Officeworks
- Safety and Mobility
- Superior Healthcare
- Team Medical Supplies
- The CPAP Clinic
- Plus Medical Surgical Innovation
- Medisafe PPE
Collection of nasal and throat swabs - guidance (added 18 June 2020)
- NSW Health advice - Collection of nasal and throat swabs for respiratory virus testing
- Department of Health advice - PHLN Guidance: COVID-19 Swab Collection – Upper Respiratory Specimen
COVID-19 mental health support & services
For information about mental health services available in South Western Sydney and the referral process - see our Mental Health - information for health professionals page.
Specific COVID-19 mental health information, support, tools and resources for local residents is available on our COVID-19 Community Mental Health page.
Aged care - information for residental facility staff & health providers

- NSW Health - Advice for aged care services
- Information in multiple languages - for residential aged care staff, residents and families
- Infection Control Online Training - How to protect yourself & the people you are caring for
- Infection Prevention & Control - in RACFS - November 2020
- COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian residential aged care facilities – weekly report
- Dementia Help Sheets for COVID-19 - tips for carers, RACFs, people living with dementia and family
- Department of Health - Advice for the Health & Aged Care Sector
- Department of Health – COVID-19 Aged Care Preparedness - 12 March
- Department of Health – COVID-19 Pathology Testing in Aged Care - 12 March
- Dr Ken McCroary’s article in NewsGP - GPs must help aged care prepare for the coronavirus
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander resources & information

- Advice to Aboriginal Community Health Services & Aboriginal Medical Services
- Newsletter: COVID-19 updates for Aboriginal & Torres Strair Islander communities
- CAH - Keep our communities healthy_poster
- CAH - Protect community and elders to stop the spread_poster
- CAH - Stay connected to keep our mob healthy_poster
- CAH - Keep our communities healthy_brochure
- CAH - Sorry business and coronavirus - information poster
COVID-19 resources in various languages
Settlement Council of Australia COVID-19 resources
- Tagalog; Arabic; Burmese; Assyrian; Korean; Thai; Tigrinya; Farsi; Karen; Nepalese; Italian; Simplified Chinese Mandarin; Swahili; Dari; Greek; Spanish; Vietnamese; Traditional Chinese; Hazaragi; Hakha Chin; Kurdish Kurmanji
- SBS COVID-19 resources in 63 languages
Updates from the Chief Medical Officer
Latest news from the Australian Government Department of Health - statements from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) on coronavirus (COVID-19), clinical updates and Chief Medical Officer's press releases.
- Subscribe to the GP Update on COVID-19 from the CMO
Subscribe Here
Read the CMO coronavirus (COVID-19) 2021 newsletters for GPs:
Friday, 26 February
Friday, 19 February
Friday, 12 February
Friday, 5 February
Friday, 29 January
- Media Release - The Hon Greg Hunt, Minister for Health
Initial towns, suburbs and hubs for COVID-19 vaccine – 18 February 2021
- Media Release - The Hon Greg Hunt, Minister for Health
GPs’ key role in COVID-19 vaccination rollout - 22 January 2021
- Joint Media Release - The Hon Greg Hunt, Minister for Health & Professor Michael Kidd AM, Principle Medical Advisor
- Media Release from ASHM - Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis & Sexual Health Medicine
National taskforce to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on HIV and other blood-borne viruses – 27 March 2020
- Media Release from Brad Hazzard - NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research
Community urged to help prevent Coronavirus - 27 February 2020
Coronavirus Health Information Line
Call this Australian Government Department of Health phone line if you are seeking information on COVID-19. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Liverpool Public Health Unit (South Western Sydney LHD)
(02) 9794 0855
After Hours - Phone: (02) 8738 3000
(Liverpool Hospital) - ask for Public Health Officer on call
healthdirect helpline
Community members can call this number to speak to a registered nurse about their health concerns. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
COVID-19 Vaccination Information for General Practices
COVID-19 Vaccination Information for Residential Aged Care Facilities
COVID-19 Pathology Collection & Testing
COVID-19 Cases in South Western Sydney
See COVID-19 information for community members