Strain, doctor warns

and where ambulances have nowhere to offload patients.

He called for a change in perspective on the threat Covid posed to a highly vaccinated population, especially since most people didn’t fall very ill if infected.

However, staff needed to continue to be careful, through washing hands and not coming into work if sick.

‘‘I do think we need to step away from that a little bit and make it about personal responsibility and, of course, protecting vulnerable populations,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re a bit better at isolating people with respiratory complaints, and I think we need to design hospitals for that as well – so not to throw the whole baby out with the bathwater – but let’s just stop testing everybody, particularly asymptomatic people.’’

He said nurses were forced to stay away from work ‘‘with literally a little bit of a sniffle’’ which often meant a hospital could provide fewer beds – adding further to the strain.

He said it was the right thing to go early and hard in 2020, but now ‘‘we’ve got a highly vaccinated population with a less serious virus’’.

‘‘Move on and stop the Covid scared-ness, because it’s the processes that I think are just slowing us down.’’

New Zealand College of Emergency Nurses spokeswoman Sue Stebbeings agreed only patients with symptoms should be tested.

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand were approached for comment but did not respond within deadline.

‘‘Let’s just stop testing everybody, particularly asymptomatic people.’’ Dr John Bonning, left.