60 new cases for Q'town, 5 for Central

Health officials in the Southern region are reminding people they need a plan to isolate at home if they test positive for Covid-19 as cases in the community continue to climb.

The Southern District Health Board has reported 372 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today - 60 of them in the Queenstown-Lakes area and five in Central Otago.

The bulk of the region’s new cases are, once again, in Dunedin, where 249 fresh cases have been reported.

It brings the total number of active cases in the South to 4,245 - in the Queenstown-Lakes area there’s a total 667 cases; in Central Otago, 74.

The Ministry of Health has today reported there are 344 people in hospital with the virus – four of them in the Southern region.

Current cases as of 11.59pm, February 27, 2022 (Source SDHB)

  
Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB 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. 

In a statement, the SDHB says people need to plan to isolate at home if diagnosed with the virus and potentially support others to do so when health resources are stretched. 

“If a member of your family gets diagnosed with COVID-19, are you ready and prepared to isolate at home for 10 days or more? 

“If a vulnerable member of your family needs in-home support and due to staff sickness there isn't anyone available to care for them, do you have a plan in place to support them for a few days?  

“Now is the time to have these discussions with your family, whānau, friends and support networks.

“Don't wait till you or someone you care about is unwell or requiring immediate support. Talk with your community, support workers, family and neighbours now.”

At phase three of the Government’s Omicron response plan, locations of interest are no longer being published and there’s a shift in focus to household contacts and high-risk exposures at places like aged-care facilities or hospitals.

However, people are still being asked by the Ministry of Health to use the NZ Covid Tracer app to scan in at locations they visit to help track their movements.

“Even if your contacts do not have to legally isolate, they should still be given the information so they can make decisions for themselves,” the SDHB statement says.

Covid is widespread throughout the South, but people should still only get tested if they are symptomatic or a household contact of a confirmed case to ensure testing resources are free for those in need, the SDHB says.

Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are increasingly being used to test for Covid-19 and people need to report a positive case to health officials themselves.

“If you test positive on a RAT test you do not need to have that confirmed by PCR – you are a case. 

“Please update your My Covid Record with your result.”

Testing locations can be found on the WellSouth website.