Background With the reduction in access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and changes in testing guidelines in Australia, a reduced number of people are seeking testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), limiting the opportunity to monitor disease transmission. Knowledge of community transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses is essential to better predict subsequent surges in cases during the pandemic to alert health services, protect vulnerable populations and enhance public health measures. We describe a methodology for a testing-based sentinel surveillance program to monitor disease in the community for early signal detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. Methods/design A longitudinal active testing-based sentinel surveillance program for respiratory viruses (including SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B and Respiratory Syncytial Virus) will be implemented in some regions of Queensland. Adults will be eligible for enrolment if they are part of specific community groups at increased risk of exposure and have not had a COVID-19 infection in the last 13 weeks. Recruitment via workplaces will occur in-person, via email and through online advertisement. Asymptomatic participants will be tested via PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection by weekly self-collected nasal swabs. In addition, symptomatic participants will be asked to seek SARS-CoV-2 and additional respiratory virus PCR testing at nominated COVID-19 testing sites. SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory virus prevalence data will be analysed weekly and at the end of the study period. Discussion Once implemented, this surveillance program will determine the weekly prevalence of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses in the broader community by testing a representative sample of adults, with an aim to detect early changes in the baseline positivity rate. This information is essential to define the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in the community in near-real time to inform public health control measures and prepare health services and other stakeholders for a rise in service demand.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the multidisciplinary care model of the Canberra Obesity Management Service (COMS) with regard to patient demographics and clinical outcomes, particularly in comparison with previous COMS outcome reviews. Methods A retrospective chart review was carried out on all patients attending an initial assessment at COMS between July 2018 and June 2019. Existing patients attending follow‐up reviews were excluded so as to avoid repeating analyses of data from previous COMS reviews. Patient data were recorded and deidentified and underwent descriptive analyses. Results A total of 234 patients with a mean age of 45.6 (SD = 13.9) years, mean BMI of 50.1 kg/m2 (SD = 8.5), and a female majority (72.2%) were analyzed. Of the 165 patients who attended follow‐up appointments, 27.9% experienced ≥10% weight loss (46/165). Sleeve gastrectomy was associated with the largest mean weight reduction (15.6% at 6 months [n = 18]). Conclusions Compared with previous COMS studies, both the throughput and proportion of participants achieving clinically meaningful weight reduction were observed to have increased. Further studies assessing service cost‐effectiveness, the development of standardized treatment pathways, and the use of a systematic data collection system would be valuable in allowing comparison between outcomes with similar obesity services in Australia and internationally.