Hundreds tested — everyone negative so far
Hundreds of people have been tested for Covid-19 in Hawke’s Bay since the alert level 2 announcement, with not a single person returning a positive test so far.
The testing stations in Napier, Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay tested a total of 313 people on Wednesday.
Hawke’s Bay DHB medical officer Nick Jones said due to the increased demand, only people with symptoms or those who had been identified as a contact of a confirmed case in Auckland were being tested.
Symptoms of Covid-19 include cold or flu-like illness with one or more of the following: a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, a runny nose or loss of smell.
“It’s important that people with symptoms get tested to protect their friends and wha¯nau and ensure there are no undetected cases of Covid in Hawke’s Bay,” Jones said.
“Symptomatic people need to stay home and wear a mask if visiting a testing centre, a general practice or a pharmacy.”
HBDHB’s new chief executive Keriana Brooking said the DHB had processes and experience in place, along with the capacity to respond to a Covid-19 outbreak should it happen in Hawke’s Bay.
“Our focus will be on the community, encouraging people with symptoms to get tested and for people to follow the rules of social distancing, wearing a mask where social distancing isn’t possible, handwashing and staying home if you were sick,” she said.
Jones asked people to remain patient as general practices worked hard to keep up with the current testing demand. The teams were working hard to test everyone that needed to be tested, he said.
Under alert level 2, the DHB also revised its visitor policy, and implemented a no-visitor plan for high-risk areas of Hawke’s Bay Hospital.
That means no support people will be allowed in the emergency department, intensive care unit, special care baby unit and mental health inpatient units unless an exception is granted by the clinical nurse managers or shift co-ordinator.
Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s maternity unit will allow one support person and one named visitor a day. No children will be allowed to visit the maternity unit.
In other hospital areas and rural facilities, it will be one visitor at a time, but more than one person will be able to visit during the day, but each person can only visit once a day. Visitors will be asked to wear a mask, which will be provided as they enter the hospital.