More than 90 per cent of at-risk Victorians avoid COVID-19 tests due to 'shame and stigma', study finds

More than 90 per cent of Victorians at high risk of contracting COVID-19 have avoided getting tested due to "shame and stigma", a new study has found.

Alarming research by the Burnet Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute revealed the stigma attached to being COVID-positive was a "significant barrier" preventing key community groups from taking a test.

According to the Optimise Study, 93 per cent of people who had symptoms such as a sore throat, runny nose and cough, failed to get tested on at least one occasion.

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The majority of participants (85 per cent) declined to get tested as they considered their symptoms to be unrelated to COVID-19, while 14 per cent decided against it as they only had mild symptoms.

"When we spoke with community members, fear, anxiety and stigma played a prominent role in their decision to get a test and were identified as common barriers for very different groups – young Australians in their teens and 20s, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities," Dr Alisa Pedrana, Burnet Senior Research Fellow, said.

Participants feared they would be "judged or ridiculed" if they tested positive, like in the cases of some infected individuals reported in the media.

Others noted that some COVID-positive people were "bombarded with hate", with social media hashtags such as #covidiot being used to publicly shame those who had supposedly "done wrong".

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Some students said they feared the "intense focus" that came with being identified at school.

"In some CALD communities, family groups and communities can blame and stigmatise individuals who try to get tested by asking: 'What have you been doing to get COVID-19? Who are your friends?' which may discourage them from seeking out testing in the future," report co-author, Dr Bronwen Merner, La Trobe University Research Fellow, said.

"And people who may have had COVID-19 many months ago noted their experience of shame when required to declare it, with results sometimes discussed in a waiting room in front of others."

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Other barriers to testing included impact on employment and financial security, reluctance to stand for hours in a queue just for a scratchy throat, older people being unable to stand for long periods, lack of awareness of call-to-test services and language barriers.