Wellingtonians warned to stay vigilant against Covid
Wellington hospitals are nearing capacity, winter is coming and the pandemic isn’t over – warnings from those on the front line of the pandemic as thousands of residents continue to fight Covid-19.
More than 600 new cases of the disease were reported in the capital on Thursday, as well as 213 in Hutt Valley and 96 in Wairarapa. Across the three district health board areas, 86 people have died with the virus to date.
Ruby Hickman is one of more than 5000 Wellingtonians counted as an active case, and urged people to keep up defences for the sake of those who are vulnerable.
‘‘Don’t put it in the back of your mind,’’ she said. ‘‘Masks aren’t just a precaution and a box to tick.
‘‘They’re going to keep you safe because there are still people who are immune-suppressed.’’
Hickman’s asthma had been exacerbated by the virus and she had been ‘‘mostly horizontal’’ since testing positive on Tuesday last week. She had a close friend who was heavily immune suppressed and was keeping her in mind.
‘‘We’re not just following this because we have to. We’re following it to keep people safe.’’
In Wellington Regional Hospital, 90% of the 350 adult inpatient beds were being used each day, Capital & Coast District
Health Board confirmed. Hutt Hospital was at 81% occupancy.
‘‘There are days where existing problems with inpatient bed blockages and patient flow are intensified by surges of patients through our emergency departments,’’ chief medical officer for both Hutt and Wellington hospitals, Dr John Tait said.
This was made worse by staff being away either ill or caring for sick children, he said. Wellington Regional Hospital had prepared by having plans to support safe staffing, and had added curtain rails and internal walls in its outpatients department so it could add 12 adult inpatient beds if needed.
With winter just weeks away, influenza was a concern for older and immunocompromised people, Dr Alex Psirides, spokesperson for the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, said.
He was also concerned about an outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in babies and young children. RSV was behind a huge spike in hospitalisations last winter, despite the borders being shut.
‘‘[Influenza and RSV] are coming and winter is likely to see both of these rising, along with an increase in Covid-19 at the same time,’’ Psirides said.
Wellington-based professor of public health Dr Nick Wilson said the risk of a second wave increased as people began spending more time indoors and out of the cold.
‘‘As winter approaches, people will have more close contact and infection rates will go up, and at the same time, we’ve got new variants and waning immunity from those big vaccination efforts,’’ Wilson said.
Psirides echoed Hickman’s calls for people to continue playing their part, urging booster shots, mask-wearing, handwashing and testing if people are symptomatic.
‘‘Protect yourself, protect others who can’t protect themselves, and help healthcare look after those who need it most.’’