WA expands coronavirus testing regime

Western Australia will expand coronavirus testing to any members of the community having a fever and acute respiratory illness.

WA residents previously needed to have travelled overseas or been in contact with a known case to be eligible for testing.

But a relatively low rate of community transmission has opened the door for WA to be more aggressive with its testing than other states.

About 84 per cent of WA's confirmed 355 coronavirus cases have been linked to overseas travel or cruise ships, Health Minister Roger Cook said on Monday.

WA's Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson said clinics were already conducting 700 to 800 tests per day.

He said expanding the testing regime in coming days would provide authorities with greater insight as the number of overseas and intestate arrivals dwindled.

"We've seen a continuing drop of new cases," Dr Robertson said.

"That is part of the reason that we will look at expanded testing, just to ensure that we are picking up cases that might be in the community.

"We don't necessarily believe that's the case but we obviously want to make sure."

A total of 41 West Australians have now fully recovered from the coronavirus.

Dr Robertson said WA's hospitals were not being swamped with unwell people, which suggested it was unlikely a large number of cases were being missed.

"Even looking at our influenza-like illnesses that are presenting at our hospitals and our emergency departments, although the numbers have been increased over the last three or four weeks above the national average, very few of those are actually being admitted," he said.

"It's fairly much consistent with what we'd see at this time of year."