News Articles for Department of Health

The state government will move to protect contact tracing data after it was legally obtained by police to assist a murder investigation.

Social services executive Sue Ash has been named independent chair of the state government's newly formed quarantine advisory panel.

Pressure continues to mount for Roger Cook with both the state opposition and the AMA today calling for him to resign as health minister.

WA has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 overnight as the state government prepares to extend its emergency response powers into January.

Another half a billion-dollar cheque has been written by the federal government to help Australia foster international partnerships on clean energy technology.

Hotel quarantine staff will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to work as of next month.

Consulting firm Deloitte has been selected to lead the proof-of-concept testing for what is likely to be one of the state government's largest IT projects.

A woman in WA has suffered a case of rare blood clots believed to be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Travellers from Queensland are now banned from entering Western Australia following 10 new cases of COVID-19 being reported in Brisbane overnight.

UPDATE: Visitors from Queensland will now be tested for COVID-19 and be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine following several new cases being recorded in Brisbane overnight.

The state's former chief health officer has recommended an urgent independent assessment of ventilation in all WA quarantine hotels after last month's lockdown.

A mix of good fortune and good management meant WA emerged from the recent lockdown in good shape. How likely is it to happen again?

More than $120 million has been spent on hotels and security companies during the past year as part of the state government's strategy for quarantining international travellers.

WA's five-day lockdown has won the endorsement of an academic whose modelling was instrumental to the state government's much-lauded initial response to COVID-19.

Andrew Miller has sounded a note of caution after WA recorded no new cases of COVID-19 overnight, arguing the result was not evidence of no community transmission.

As the federal government readies its vaccine rollout, can WA manage the health and economic risks of a second wave of coronavirus?

Western Australia's government has promised better transparency after it was not disclosed that several recovered COVID-19 cases were linked to the highly contagious British strain.

A long-running defamation dispute between Rottnest Island retailers is heading back to the Supreme Court more than four years after it was thrown out.

WA will reopen its interstate border to Victoria and NSW from December 8.

Western Australia is still considering whether to reopen its border to Victoria, despite that state having effectively eliminated COVID-19.

Restaurants, gyms and beauty parlours will be required to keep contact registers from next month despite the state government refusing to say when WA's border will fully reopen.

Health Minister Roger Cook has labelled accusations WA is still not testing wastewater for COVID-19 as plainly wrong and mischievous.

Telethon 2020 raised a record $46.3m for the Channel 7 Telethon Trust over the weekend, with 14 donors contributing the lion's share of the money.

Australians are expected to need two doses of a coronavirus vaccine to be protected against the disease.

WA authorities have begun a deep clean of the coronavirus-infected Al Messilah livestock ship, while crew aboard another vessel have returned negative tests.

The continued arrival of ships carrying crew infected with COVID-19 is one of Western Australia's "weakest links" and greatest risks, Premier Mark McGowan says.

Mathias Cormann has intensified his criticisms of WA's hard border, arguing the state government is now acting against public health advice.

The state's health minister has refused to say when WA will reopen its domestic border as eastern states struggle to suppress fresh COVID-19 outbreaks.

Western Australia's coronavirus border closures remain "appropriate and proportionate" but should be reviewed at the end of the month, the state's chief health officer has advised.

The risk of reopening Western Australia's borders has "substantially decreased" as COVID-19 cases continue to fall, the state's chief health officer says.

A COVID-stricken ship off the Western Australian coast has set sail amid a virus scare aboard another vessel.

Health Minister Roger Cook is confident a COVID-19 outbreak on a bulk carrier off Port Hedland will be resolved within a fortnight.

A Western Australian nurse who tested positive to COVID-19 while volunteering in Victoria has returned home with her six colleagues after making a full recovery

Four new coronavirus cases, all related to a family who returned from overseas, have been reported in Western Australia.

Premier Mark McGowan has doubled down on his government's all-or-nothing hard border arrangements.

The University of Western Australia's new vice-chancellor plans to shift the institution's focus.

Private medical records have been intercepted and posted online in Western Australia, raising alarm about the use of "insecure" paging services by government agencies.

Arrivals from Victoria face mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine at their own expense in Western Australia while travellers from NSW will be tested immediately.

Western Australia has recorded eight new cases of coronavirus, pushing the state's active caseload to its highest point in five weeks.

A $10.8 million liver cancer research centre has been established with donations from several philanthropic and research organisations, including $5 million from the Cancer Research Trust.