Western Australia's Pilbara region is the most prone to a COVID-19 outbreak from Perth, new modelling shows, with fly-in fly-out workers likely to blame.
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Research from the University of Western Australia used location data from mobile phones from the past two years to model regional transmission of the virus across the state, taking into account vaccination levels, border controls and restrictions.
The analysis, carried out by applied mathematics honours student Yuval Berman, built on preliminary UWA studies of COVID transmission which formed the basis of advice to the state's health department.
"We found that towns in the Pilbara are more prone to a COVID outbreak originating in Perth than towns in most other parts of the state, including the busy southwest," Mr Berman said.
"We believe this is most likely driven by FIFO activity, with the results suggesting the need for prudent health monitoring of fly-in and fly-out workers."
The 22-year-old student said the modelling demonstrated the importance of COVID-19 restrictions, including border controls and compulsory isolation for close contacts.
"We found that with those restrictions in place, as they had been, a triple vaccination rate of 63 per cent or higher would have been enough to suppress an Omicron outbreak in Western Australia," Mr Berman said.
"Without social restrictions ... no level of triple vaccination would have suppressed Omicron, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the mandates that were in place."
WA eased its COVID-19 isolation rules this week and announced its mandatory three-jab vaccination policy would be wound back for most workers from June 10.
Meanwhile, an Australian-based importer has been fined more than $10,000 after buying 13,500 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests from overseas.
The nation's medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, confirmed it has issued four fines to the person for unlawfully importing the RATs.
It alleges the tests were not on the Australia Register of Therapeutic Goods.
They were seized at the international border and will not be released into the Australian market.
Self-testing kits for COVID-19 were green lit for Australian use in November last year but were in short supply in early 2022 as the first Omicron wave swept through the community.
Australia has reported more than 25,000 new COVID-19 cases so far on Saturday and a further 56 deaths.
LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:
Victoria: 8445 cases, 16 deaths, 509 in hospital with 29 in ICU
NSW: 6594 cases, 18 deaths, 1227 in hospital with 28 in ICU
WA: 6242 cases, 10 deaths, 278 in hospital with 11 in ICU
Queensland: 3423 cases, 11 deaths, 286 in hospital with six in ICU
Tasmania: 575 cases, one death, 39 in hospital with none in ICU.
Australian Associated Press
