More than 1m RATs in one month in the South

In March alone, more than one million Rapid Antigen Tests were distributed to people in the Southern region.

The data has been provided today by the Southern District Health Board in its afternoon round-up of Covid-19 case numbers.

There were 59,174 orders filled via Southern distribution sites, ordered through the Ministry of Health’s RAT requestor, a statement from the district health board said.

That amounts to 1,097,800 RAT tests provided to people meeting testing criteria in Otago and Southland in just more than four weeks, and do not include tests provided privately by some employers for their own staff or those sold through some retailers.

WellSouth director of nursing Wendy Findlay says Otago and Southland communities have again shown how conscientious they are about staying safe when it comes to Covid-19.  

“The team has done a great deal of work ensuring that RATs are accessible across the region.

"We have more than 50 collection sites - more than any other district in the country - and options to have the tests delivered to those living remotely.

“This ready-access has been really helpful, but we also know Southerners are keen to do their part to keep our communities safe and that means getting tested to detect the virus.” 

Across the region, the SDHB is reporting a further 937 people with the virus - 124 in the Queenstown-Lakes community and 55 in Central Otago.

There are a total 7,847 unrecovered cases from the last seven days - 1,056 of them in Queenstown-Lakes and 593 in Central Otago.

There are 29 people in Southern hospitals with Covid-19.

There are two people in Dunstan Hospital in Clyde and one person in Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown with the virus.

Two person in hospital in Dunedin with the virus are in intensive care. 

Current hospitalisations as at 8am, April 11, 2022 (Source SDHB) 

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. 

Current cases as of 11.59pm, April 10, 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. 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.  

Covid-19 in the South - What you need to know:

• Please only get tested if you have symptoms or are a household contact of a confirmed case.
• Testing locations can be found on the WellSouth website.
• 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. Call 0800 222 478, option 3, if you need any support to do this.
• If you receive a text notification that you are positive, please do the online survey in the link you receive in the text message as soon as possible. This will ensure you can receive the appropriate care and support when you need it. Please be aware that, after filling in your My Covid Record with your positive RAT result, there can be a 24-hour delay before you receive this text message. 
• Prepare now to self-isolate if you or a family member or housemate tests positive.
• If you are self-isolating and require welfare support such as help getting groceries, please call 0800 512 337.
• If you have concerns about Covid-19 symptoms, call your general practice or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 at any time. If you are very unwell or having breathing difficulties, call 111 immediately.