Te Whatu Ora Southern COVID-19 Update 5 August 2022

Key Messages 

1. Visiting our hospitals

Please stay home and do not visit your loved ones if you are unwell. Help us protect our patients by calling them on the phone or using FaceTime to connect with your loved ones in hospital if you are unwell.

All visitors will be screened at the door.

All visitors are required to wear a surgical mask and keep it on for the entirety of the visit to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Surgical masks are available at the hospital entrance.

Patients will only be allowed two nominated visitors per stay (only one visitor is allowed per day) with the exception made on compassionate grounds.
 

2.Get your booster
Current evidence shows your protection against infection after two doses slowly decreases over time. Apart from mask wearing, a booster dose will give you greater immunity against COVID-19, including Omicron. Many older people will now be eligible for their second booster.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to build full protection against COVID-19, so the time to act is now to help you, our communities and health service services get through winter.
“Boosters are still the best form of protection against getting very sick from COVID-19 and being hospitalised. We are strongly encouraging anyone who has not had their booster shot to do so now – this could make the difference between staying home and going to hospital.” - Dr Susan Jack, Medical Officer of Health: Te Whatu Ora - Southern

Find out more about boosters here

3. Masks matter

A face mask is an easy and important way to minimise infectious droplets spreading when you speak, laugh, cough or sneeze. Please be vigilant when out in the community and wear a mask, practise good hand hygiene and physical distancing where appropriate.  

“We know wearing a mask can feel tiresome at times, but it does save lives. Finding a mask which fits you properly, taking regular breaks where it is safe to do so, and taking some long breaths before putting on your mask can help. By wearing a mask, keeping your distance, and washing your hands, you are not only protecting yourself, but your community as well.” -  Dr Susan Jack, Medical Officer of Health: Te Whatu Ora - Southern

4. You can be infected with COVID-19 more than once

You are more likely to become re-infected as your immune response from the vaccine, or your previous COVID-19 infection, decreases over time. It is still unclear how common reinfections are, but they are likely to become more common as new variants and sub variants spread across New Zealand.
 “For most people illness caused by reinfection is likely to be no more severe than a previous infection, but they can experience different symptoms. Taking preventative measures including wearing a mask, getting your booster shot, practising hand hygiene, and physically distancing, will decrease your chances of being re-infected.” - Dr Susan Jack, Medical Officer of Health: Te Whatu Ora -Southern

Hospitalisation figures 

Current hospitalisations as at 2pm 5 August 2022  

Please note that hospitalisation data does not differentiate between patients admitted because of COVID-19 infection versus those admitted for a separate reason who happen to also have COVID-19 (incidental COVID-19 infection).  

The Ministry of Health total figures for Southern for the previous 24 hours are:  

• 414 new positive cases  
• 3233 (not recovered from last 7 days)  

Current cases as of 11.59pm 4 August 2022  

Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a District or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO. Due to the increased use of RATs and system lag issues there may be a discrepancy in the number of total active cases from the territorial authority breakdown. 

A decision has been made nationally that areas with less than 5 new cases per 24-hour period will be reported as “<5”. All territorial authorities with less than 100 cases will have their case numbers rounded to the nearest 5. We are unable to supply further information. Please contact the Ministry of Health directly for more information about these decisions.  

More information

• Testing locations and hours of operation can be found on the WellSouth website.  
• If you have any questions about COVID-19, self-isolation, or what you need to do if you test positive, please call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. 
• If you are self-isolating and require welfare support such as help getting groceries, please call 0800 512 337 Monday-Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday/Sunday/Public Holidays 8am-1pm.  
• For help accessing COVID-19 testing in the Southern region and to find your nearest testing center please call the WellSouth call center on 0800 VIRUS19 (0800 847 8719).  
• If you have concerns about COVID-19 symptoms, please call your general practice or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 at any time. If you are very unwell or having breathing difficulties, please call 111 immediately.  

Key contacts 

• For questions about COVID-19 case numbers and vaccination, please contact Te Whatu Ora – Southern: communications@southerndhb.govt.nz  
• For questions about COVID-19 testing and case monitoring in the community, contact WellSouth: communications@wellsouth.org.nz