Covid costs near $600m for testing and treatment

New Zealand’s 20 district health boards have spent nearly $600 million responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Data released to Stuff under the Official Information Act shows that between March and mid-November, the 20 DHBs reported $587,782,881 in costs to the Ministry of Health linked to testing for and treating the virus.

Across the country, Auckland DHB racked up the largest total pandemic response cost, accounting for $118m of the total operating costs reported to the ministry by the 20 DHBs.

The figures include the costs associated with providing Covid19 testing, additional cleaning and security, as well as costs from the impacts on the delivery of services – such as transport, or additional technology or communication-related costs. They also encompass costs related to the purchase of new clinical equipment.

The DHBs which reported the biggest hit to the coffers were those with the highest case numbers and some of the country’s largest populations: including the three Auckland DHBs (Auckland, Counties Manukau and Waitemata¯) and Canterbury.

Counties Manukau DHB, which covers south and east

Auckland, reported the second highest Covid-19 costs, with $80.4m spent over the nine-month period.

Canterbury DHB, which saw the highest number of Covid-19 deaths following an outbreak at Rosewood Rest Home, reported $66.3m in costs linked to the pandemic – the third highest of the 20 DHBs.

Waitemata¯ DHB, the country’s largest health board by population, has had more Covid-19 cases than any other DHB. It also performed the second highest number of tests, behind Counties Manukau.

However, it incurred less than half the Covid-19 costs of neighbouring Auckland DHB, reporting the fourth highest total cost of the 20 DHBs – $56,539,761.

Southern DHB also bucked the trend. Despite having the same number of Covid-19 cases as Counties Manukau DHB, 216, it reported a fraction of the costs – $28.5m – of which $2.6m was spent on testing.

Of the $587m, more than $78m was spent by 18 DHBs – testing costs were not available for Nelson Marlborough and West Coast DHBs – on community Covid-19 testing alone.

Auckland DHB reported the largest Covid-19 testing cost, $16.1m, followed by Waitemata¯ DHB on $12.8m.

Testing costs varied widely, with Taira¯whiti DHB reporting just $40,500.