Dear Member / clinic owner,
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DHB liaison groups
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We have reps for 16/20 DHBs but still are looking for someone in the following DHBs:
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Northland, Wairarapa, Hutt, West Coast, Southland and South Canterbury
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Please reply if you can help.
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PPE
“People who, due to the nature of their job, may be unable to maintain more than 1 metre contact distance from people with potential COVID-19 symptoms – facemasks and gloves are recommended when this contact is likely to occur.
Examples of these workplaces include but not limited to police, prison staff, customs staff.”
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- This would seem to apply to frontline medical staff, especially given 45% of Covid19 cases may be asymptomatic
- 41m new masks ordered – arriving in NZ from ‘next Monday’, cf current stocks of approx. 23m – significant increase.
- DGoH is ‘closely following’ CDC review of mask use to recommend wearing masks by the public, in line with Chinese and other east Asian practice and recommendations:
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Q: What mistakes are other countries making?
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A: The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role—you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth. Many people have asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others."
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Financial support for clinics
RNZCUC met with clinic owners reps today. They’ve prepared a request for support. RNZCUC has issued a statement in favour of Government support to enable an urgent care service to continue.
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GP leaders’ forum
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RNZCUC attended today’s GPLF meeting, and put forward a suggestion to work together to examine simple measures aimed at keeping covid19 positive patients well enough to stay out of hospital, especially older and chronically unwell patients.
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Forum topic on this planned for sharing ideas.
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Flutracking website
From the MoH – please use and encourage patients to do so, or do so on their behalf (with their consent)
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“Flutracking is an online survey which asks if you have had a fever or cough in the last week and which can help us
track COVID-19. Registering online will help our surveillance efforts by providing early detection of community
spread of the flu and also of COVID-19 symptoms.
We encourage people to register online at info.flutracking.net
This is a practical thing everyone can do to help us monitor flu and COVID-19 symptoms throughout NZ”
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Case definition
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The case definition has changed, to include “… any acute respiratory infection with at least one of the following symptoms: cough, sore throat or shortness of breath”
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Fever does not have to be present (and was absent in 46% of cases on admission to hospital in one review (NEJM).
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The prime minister has encouraged doctors to use their discretion more often when ordering tests; acute anosmia may be due to acute respiratory infection, and may be the dominant or only symptom is many Covid19 positive patients.
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Other forum topics
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David Gollogly, Jasmine Mackay, Richard Chen
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Pandemic Response Committee
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