Households more likely to test with RATs in March

Of the 46 percent of households taking a COVID-19 test in March 2022, 90 per cent reported a household member had taken a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), according to survey results released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

ABS Head of Household Surveys, David Zago, said: “The latest Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, conducted between 11 and 20 March 2022, asked Australians about access to and types of COVID-19 tests used in the past four weeks.”

“In March 2022, only one in 25 Australians (4 per cent) reported difficulties obtaining a RAT in the past four weeks.

The survey also asked Australians about the impact of COVID-19 on their household’s working arrangements, and feelings that had an adverse impact on their emotional and mental wellbeing.

“In March, 20 per cent of households reported that COVID-19 had impacted work arrangements in the household in the last four weeks, a decrease from 26 per cent in February when the Omicron variant was more prevalent,” said Mr Zago.

Compared with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians were less likely in March 2022 to report they felt nervous in the last four weeks (22 per cent compared with 35 per cent in April 2020), and less likely to report feeling restless or fidgety (26 per cent compared with 42 per cent in April 2020).

The ABS would like to thank the Australian households that contributed to these survey results.