Latest update on COVID-19 testing

A pop-up testing centre has been established this afternoon at Karapiro, just outside of Cambridge, in response to a person from the area testing positive overnight for COVID-19. GP practices in Cambridge are also providing tests with bookings required in advance.

A person from Kawhia also tested positive overnight. The town’s general practice is providing tests to enrolled and casual patients. A pop-up testing and vaccination site will be set up at Maketu Marae in Kawhia on Thursday.

Demand for community testing remains high in Hamilton and around the region. The flow through community testing centres is steady today with minimal waits.

Waikato DHB’s Public Health team has confirmed an individual who visited Waikato Hospital Emergency Department last week has now tested positive for COVID-19. See more.

People can also get tested on appointment at GP practices across the region, including designated GP practices that take enrolled and non-enrolled patients. See Healthpoint for a full list of options.

It is important that our testing facilities are available for those priority individuals who meet the criteria for seeking a test at this time. This allows us to rapidly investigate whether there has been any community spread.

Anyone who has cold or flu-like symptoms, is following guidance relating to a location of interest or has been directed by Healthline or a GP should seek a test immediately.

Otherwise, people should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or their GP for guidance before seeking a test.

Tuesday 5 October tests

• Hamilton - Founders Theatre CTC: 403
• Hamilton - Claudelands pop-up testing centre: 639
• Hamilton - Te Rapa pop-up testing centre (opened 12pm): 59
• Raglan pop-up testing centre: 228
• Huntly pop-up testing centre: 70
• Tokoroa pop-up testing centre: 51

Total tests taken across the Waikato on Tuesday 5 October: 5462

It is free to get a COVID-19 test, wherever you go.

We are asking people to please review the latest locations on the Ministry of Health website: https://www.health.govt.nz/locationsofinterest.

A map of locations of interest is available through this web page and includes guidance on what to do if you have attended each location at the time(s) identified.

Waikato locations of interest are being added to the Ministry of Health website once they are identified.

COVID-19 testing centres

The availability of community testing centres is based on our assessment of demand and may change daily. Locations for community testing are updated in this advisory, on our website, on Healthpoint and on our Facebook page as soon as they are confirmed for the next day.

Raglan

Raglan rugby grounds car park

Cross Street

Wednesday 6 October – Friday 8 October 10am-4.30pm

Huntly
Te Whare Oranga
147 Harris Street
Wednesday 5 October - Friday 8 October 11am - 3pm

Hamilton
Founders Theatre car park
Entrance off Norton Road
8am - 4.30pm

Claudelands Event Centre
Gate 3, Brooklyn Road
8am - 8pm until further notice

Te Rapa Racecourse

Ken Browne Drive

Wednesday 6 October 10am - 4.30pm

Te Kohao Health,

951 Wairere Drive, Hamilton East

Wednesday 6 October 10am - 4pm

Karapiro
Gate 1, Mighty River Domain
601 Maungatautari Road
Wednesday 6 October 1pm - 5pm

Kawhia
Maketu Marae
614 Ka Ora Street
Thursday 7 October - Saturday 9 October 10am – 3pm

Tokoroa
South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services
23 Maraetai Road
Wednesday 6 October – Thursday 7 October 10am – 3pm

GP practices

General practices across the Waikato are testing patients and designated GPs are testing non-patients also. See Healthpoint for a full list of GPs offering COVID-19 testing or call your GP to check. COVID-19 tests are free. Please ring first to make an appointment.

Update on COVID-19 vaccinations in the Waikato DHB region

Reporting on vaccination rates is provided at TLA level. This data is as at 12pm, 6 October 2021.

Kawhia: 65.3% of the eligible population have received their first dose and 36.7% are fully vaccinated.

Vaccination data

To date (as at 9am 6 October), 440,126 COVID-19 vaccinations have been delivered in the Waikato.

• 268,772 first doses have been administered
• 171,354 second doses have been administered
• On Tuesday 5 October, 7154 vaccinations were delivered across the Waikato.

Pop-up vaccination sites

The pop-up at Raglan Area School, 42 Norrie Avenue, is operating again today from 9.30am to 4pm.

There will be pop-up vaccinations offered at Maketu Marae in Kawhia on Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

Vaccination clinics

• Walk-in appointments are available at many vaccination sites across the Waikato.
• People can now also bus free to and from their vaccination appointment if they show proof of their booking. See busit.co.nz/vaccination for more details.
• Mobile vaccination clinics are rolling out across the takiwā with regular visits to locations through to the end of the year. The schedule is on the Waikato DHB website and will be regularly updated with more dates and locations.

Reminder - Making a vaccination appointment

Although walk-ins are available at many vaccination sites, the best way of guaranteeing a vaccination on the time, day and place of your choosing is still to book.

• If you have made a booking and are not able to attend your appointment, please cancel your booking so someone else can use that appointment time.
• If you are unsure when your appointment is, check on the booking system at https://app.bookmyvaccine.covid19.health.nz/manage using your contact number or email address and booking reference. Alternatively, you can call 0800 28 29 26 for assistance.
• Everyone aged 12+ can now visit bookmyvaccine.nz to make their bookings.
• We ask everyone when attending their appointments under Alert Level 3 to follow the key public health measures detailed on the Unite Against COVID-19 website.

Update on changes to hospital services

To help protect our patients, staff and community as our Public Health service investigate these cases, Waikato DHB is limiting the number of people at our facilities.

A restricted visitor policy was put in place from Sunday afternoon in response to the two new community cases. The full policy can be viewed on our website.

From 4 October non-urgent face-to-face outpatient appointments, community services and surgeries have been deferred.

Wherever possible we will be shifting appointments to phone and/or telehealth options.

We acknowledge this will cause some inconvenience and appreciate the community’s understanding as we prioritise patient safety at this time. As our investigations progress we will continue to review this approach.

DHB staff will be contacting affected individuals with urgent procedures to confirm their appointments are going ahead or to provide details for telehealth.

Anyone who is not contacted prior to their appointment should please assume it has been deferred and they will be contacted at a later date to reschedule as required.

If people have flu-like symptoms

Do not come into the hospital if you have cold or flu-like symptoms.
If you are concerned about your risk of COVID-19, please ring Healthline (0800 358 5453). They will tell you if you need to be tested and what to do next.

• It is free to get a COVID-19 test
• GPs are able to provide assessment and testing – please phone your practice first
• Please do not turn up to your GP without an appointment
• After hours, you can be seen at an urgent care clinic
• We recommend you take your NHI number with you, which can speed up the timeframe to receive your test results.

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