GP confusion amid drop in Covid testing
Newly appointed Health Minister Chris Hipkins is unhappy with a drop-off in Covid-19 testing numbers, putting the impetus back on clinicians to test more.
But the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ medical director, Dr Bryan Betty, said changes made to guidelines over who should be tested introduced last week fanned confusion among the country’s GPs.
Fronting a media conference at the Beehive yesterday, Hipkins said current testing numbers were falling short of Cabinet’s expectations and he had told officials ‘‘to ensure there is an enhanced rate of testing over the next week’’.
More surveillance testing would offer greater assurances of public safety, the minister believed.
‘‘We do want to maintain a good degree of surveillance across the country so that should anything happen, should there be any undetected transmission in the country, we pick that up,’’ Hipkins said.
‘‘We’ve seen that decline in recent days . . . but I am going to be very clear with them [clinicians] that the level of testing at its current rate isn’t meeting the Government’s expectations.’’
The minister’s criticism may have struck a raw nerve with clinicians, as
the drop-off coincides with the recent narrowing of testing guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health last week.
At present, people deemed to be at highest priority for a test are those who are symptomatic and have had contact with a confirmed or probable case.
Symptomatic people who have travelled internationally in the past 14 days, or have had direct contact with someone who has travelled – including border staff – are also seen as high priority for testing, as are cleaners working at international airports or maritime ports.
The Government’s Covid-19 website does say others presenting to health services with Covid-like symptoms ‘‘may also be tested’’ to ensure there is no community transmission present.
Betty said that while there ‘‘was no doubt about’’ the need for adequate community testing, recent changes to the testing guidelines had sparked confusion among doctors.
‘‘GPs are a bit like the meat in the sandwich at the moment ... A lot of people are still uncertain about the criteria, and that’s part of the problem that’s arisen. We want to follow the ministry’s advice, but part of the problem has been deciding who should be tested and who shouldn’t be.’’
Drawing on anecdotal evidence, Betty attributed the decrease in testing numbers to patients refusing to undergo a test. That was because of a degree of complacency creeping in that people didn’t need to be tested if they had chest infections, colds or flu, he said.
Tu¯ Ora Compass Health chairman Dr Larry Jordan, a Porirua GP, said there was ‘‘a real anxiety’’ that medical centres would not be able to meet the broad testing guidelines that were previously in place while also facing the onset of winter illnesses. This had prompted the testing guidelines to be narrowed, he said.
‘‘If the testing rates have dropped off markedly in the last few days, and if the epidemiologists and public health experts are telling us they’ve dropped below the level that is desirable ... then we would certainly endorse that and take notice of it.
‘‘Then it’s a question of what is the right level of testing? If it’s too much, then we won’t be able to do it.’’
Hipkins denied testing capacity issues existed, saying laboratories could process as many as 13,000 tests a day.
Laboratories have carried out 416,924 Covid-19 tests so far, with 1641 tests carried out on Monday, the ministry said.