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COVID-19 Level 4 Media Advisory
COVID-19 Testing Centres
The availability of Community Testing Centres is based on our assessment of demand and may change on a daily basis. Locations for community testing are updated in this advisory, on our website, Healthpoint and our Facebook page as soon as they are confirmed for the next day.
Testing in Coromandel
Coromandel – Coromandel Town car park (pop-up CTC)
Woollams Avenue, Coromandel Township
Friday 27 August 10am - 3pm, and Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 August 10am - 1pm
Coromandel Family Health Clinic
80 Kapanga Road
Coromandel
Tuesday -
Friday 10am - 3pm
Note: All patients
must call the clinic and make an appointment in
advance.
Testing in Hamilton
Founders Theatre car park
Entrance off Norton Road
8am – 4pm
Note: The pop-up community testing centre at Claudelands Events Centre is now closed.
Testing in Tokoroa
Tokoroa Family Health
Tokoroa
Hospital
8.30am - 5pm
Call the clinic on 07
886 5431 to make a booking in advance.
Tokoroa Medical Centre
35-75 Maraetai Rd,
Tokoroa
8.30am - 5pm
Call the clinic on 07
886 8777 to make a booking in advance.
Update on COVID-19 testing in the Waikato DHB region
On Thursday 26 August:
· 130+ COVID-19 tests were taken at the Coromandel testing centre.
· 76 COVID-19 tests were taken at Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton.
· 149 COVID-19 tests were taken at the Founders testing centre in Hamilton.
Across the broader Waikato DHB region, 1,165 tests were processed on Thursday 26 August by the Waikato DHB lab.
The Claudelands Events Centre pop-up site is now closed as numbers have declined. Current demand for testing can be met by the Founders Community Testing Centre and within general practices and urgent care clinics. Claudelands can be reopened at short notice if necessary.
Tests taken at the Coromandel pop-up increased yesterday due to close contacts returning at day 12.
General practices across the region continue to test enrolled patients and there is a network of designated practices testing both enrolled and unenrolled patients.
If you have cold or flu-like symptoms and 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.
Update on COVID-19 vaccinations in the Waikato DHB region
On 27 August 2021, 9,344 vaccinations were delivered across the Waikato.
As of 9am on 27August 2021, 248,279 vaccinations have been delivered to Waikato residents.
· People aged 30 plus can now book their vaccination appointments at bookmyvaccine.nz or by calling 0800 28 29 26.
· From 1 September appointments for 12-15-year-olds can be made online at bookmyvaccine.nz.
· A reminder that all COVID-19 vaccinations centres in the Waikato are operating under Alert Level 4 conditions.
· If you have a booking and don’t receive a call, please attend your vaccination booking as scheduled, making sure you are following health measures and wear a face covering or mask.
· Please don’t attend your appointment if you are unwell or have had a COVID-19 test and are awaiting results. Stay home if you are sick and get advice on whether you need a COVID-19 test.
We are vaccinating by appointment only. We ask everyone to double check their appointment notifications for full details to ensure they turn up at the correct vaccination centre, on time.
Changes to Waikato DHB services
· Following the Government’s announcement that New Zealand will remain at Level 4 for the time being, all current Alert Level 4 protocols remain in place for Waikato DHB’s hospitals and services.
· At Alert Level 4 it is necessary for us to defer all non-urgent outpatient appointments and elective procedures until further notice. We are contacting all affected individuals directly. Plans will be made to rebook all affected individuals when it is safe to do so. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the clinics to discuss.
· Renal patients - dialysis appointments will continue to go ahead for renal patients. Please attend your dialysis appointment as you normally would, and wear a face covering or mask.
· Cancer patients - Those patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy will continue to do so as planned. Please come to your scheduled appointments, and wear a face covering or mask.
· Our Emergency Department remains open. However, please do ensure this is used for emergencies only. Patients can have one support person with them in the Emergency Department at Alert Level 4. Exceptions are outlined below.
· Maternity patients - All of our maternity services are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you need urgent maternity care in Women’s Assessment Unit or Delivery Suite or you have an appointment at Antenatal Clinic please attend. Monitoring and caring for the health of you and your baby is important at this time. We have put in place processes to keep you safe during level 4 lockdown. More information is available on our website.
· Urgent (life-threatening) Acute surgery - All urgent/acute and emergency surgeries and procedures will continue.
· Meals on Wheels - Meals on Wheels will continue to be distributed, however there may be some delays due to driver availability. Meal delivery will be ‘contactless’ with drivers wearing PPE and following strict hand hygiene protocols.
· GP Appointments - If you have an appointment during Alert Level 4, please call your General Practice team for advice on whether your consultation can be done over the phone, by video or in person. All General Practices are open.
· Pharmacy - Community Pharmacies are essential health services and will be open for prescriptions and over the counter medications. Please do not visit if you are sick. Always wear a mask and practice physical distancing.
· Radiology - We continue to provide radiology services to clinically urgent and time sensitive patients. All other radiology appointments at Waikato DHB facilities - other than those needing acute care - have been postponed and will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
· Anyone needing immediate or urgent help should seek medical care by calling 111 for an ambulance or going to their nearest hospital emergency department.
· Thank you for your understanding and cooperation at this time. As always, our priority is the safety and care of our patients, whānau and staff.
Visitors to our hospitals at Alert Level 4
· To keep patients, whānau and staff safe, members of the public will be unable to visit patients in our hospitals, clinics, or other community facilities. We know how important the support of whānau and friends is to our patients, so this was a difficult decision to make.
· Only support people or caregivers are able to visit inpatients.
o One support person for patients presenting to the Emergency Department
o One caregiver for child health services
o One support person for birthing facilities
o No children are permitted on the wards
In some cases, exceptions to this policy will be made on essential and compassionate grounds– for example, a parent or guardian who is supporting a child.
o Any exceptions will be at the discretion of the charge nurse manager and will require prior agreement. (by phoning the ward)
o The visitor will undergo screening before they enter to ensure they are well, have clean hands, and are using appropriate personal protective equipment
· We encourage patients and families to use technology where available to maintain contact in these difficult times.
Places of interest
· The cases identified so far have been out and about in the community, so there is a large number of locations of interest. The number of contacts of cases is expected to grow.
· Public health officials are rapidly interviewing cases, identifying their close contacts, tracing those contacts, and ensuring they’re in isolation and getting tested.
· Everybody should keep an eye on locations of interest on the Ministry of Health website which is constantly updated. Please pay particular attention to the window of time when the confirmed cases visited a location.
Media enquiries
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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