Southern test numbers third highest in New Zealand

Thursday, 30 April 2020

WellSouth board chairman Dr Doug Hill (right) poses alongside chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs.

Health officials must wait at least two more weeks before they can confidently say Covid-19 has been stamped out in Southland and Otago, WellSouth chairman and GP Dr Doug Hill says.

It would take at least ten days to see if Alert Level Three restrictions would be effective, he said.

But for now, they can be confident that what they're doing is working, Hill said.

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“We're in a very good position,” he said.

It has been almost two weeks since the Southern District Health Board reported its last Covid-19 case, but Hill said two incubation periods — or 28 days — would need to pass without cases before health officials could say for certain that the situation was under control.

“This is an insidious disease,” he said.

Hill believed WellSouth's rigorous testing combined with the Southern DHB's contact tracing had been effective in squashing cases in what was once the country's hardest-hit region.

“We know that social distancing, isolation and contact tracing is as good as a vaccine,” he said, referencing recent research.

WellSouth is responsible for Covid-19 testing across Southland and Otago.

Collectively considered the Southern region, the area recorded the third highest testing rate in the country last week, despite significant challenges.

The region covered the largest geographical area of all district health boards in New Zealand and it's population was spread out, making it difficult to reach communities, Hill said.

“It's more challenging than it would be in an urban centre,” he said.

Hill noted that a “remarkable team effort” went into these tests. Community-based Assessment Centres were carrying out 50 percent of tests while general practices were handling the other half.

WellSouth set up the mass testing centre at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium in just 24 hours to test school children after a schoolmate tested positive for Covid-19.

“Many people saw that it was needed and put their hands up to be part of that,” he said.

Random community testing continues across the district in locations identified by Southern DHB's Public Health team.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Susan Jack said that widespread testing of asymptomatic people provided vital information for planning.

The team have been testing at marae in Southland and Otago this week and will be setting up shop at Alliance Group's Lorneville plant near Invercargill tomorrow and at the Pukeuri plant outside Oamaru next week.

“We are very grateful to Alliance Group for assisting with this, as they represent a large group of essential workers, as well as a culturally diverse workforce,” Jack said.

The Southern District Health Board and WellSouth had been working together on their Primary and Community Care Strategy and Hill believed the collaboration set a solid foundation to help them work together during the Covid-19 response.

Hill echoed board chief executive Chris Fleming's concerns that patients may be too scared to seek treatment during the pandemic.

He'd seen it in his own practice where patients had waited for Alert Level Three before booking a consultation.

Hill urged patients to come forward if they needed help rather than letting medical conditions escalate to into more serious situations.

He also urged Southlanders to continue following physical distancing and safety guidelines.

“We're not out of the woods yet. We shouldn't be complacent,” he said.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Southland and Otago remains at 216 with 12 active cases, 202 patients recovered and two deaths.