Daily Media Update - Friday 8 May 2020
No new cases in Southern
The Ministry of Health has announced no new COVID-19 cases in the Southern district today, for the twentieth consecutive day. The region’s total remains 216, with seven active cases, 207 now recovered and two deceased.
Please note confirmed and probable cases are combined, to match Ministry case reporting. For a breakdown by Territorial Authority please visit the Southern Health website:
https://www.southernhealth.nz/sdhbCOVID19/cases-updates
More than 2,000 asymptomatic tests in Southern
More than 2,000 asymptomatic people across the Southern district have been tested for COVID-19, Dr Susan Jack, Medical Officer of Health, Southern DHB, announced this afternoon. All of the surveillance tests results have been negative.
The surveillance testing was requested by the Ministry of Health and is part of Southern DHB’s activity to try to uncover any undetected disease in the community. Carried out by WellSouth PHO and general practices, the targeted testing focused on health care and other essential workers, Māori and Pacific people, and those with a history of international travel.
The testing has included asymptomatic hospital staff in Dunedin, Southland Dunstan and Gore Hospitals who have worked in areas that provided care for COVID-positive patients.
Staff who worked at Community Based Assessment Centres and General Practices have also been tested.
Testing has also taken place at four marae across the Southern district, plus members of the Pasifika community in Oamaru and at two Alliance freezing works. In addition 343 people were tested at a Queenstown supermarket and 246 people in Queenstown hostel accommodation.
Thank you to WellSouth and general practices for carrying out this important work, and to people in the community for helping by volunteering to be tested.
In the Southern district it has now been 20 days since a new case was reported.
Dr Jack said this, together with the more than 2,000 negative tests of asymptomatic people, was cause for increasing confidence that we are unlikely to have any undetected cases in our district.
“We head into the weekend in a good place, thanks to the collective dedication of our Southern community to staying at home, social distancing, good hygiene and doing the right thing. I really encourage people to keep it going and not be tempted to relax their vigilance, so together we can stamp out COVID-19 in Southern,” she said.
ENDS.