Dannevirke Community Hospital, screens provide privacy for testing

Large screens were installed at the Dannevirke Community Hospital late last week to provide privacy and shelter for people having flu injections and Covid-19 testing. Photo / Sue Emeny

MidCentral District Health Board has installed two screens outside the Dannevirke Community Hospital.

Tararua Health Group operations manager Tania Chamberlain said the screens would ensure the privacy of people having drive-through flu injections and Covid-19 testing and would also provide shelter from the weather.

Chamberlain said it's a busy time for Tararua Health Group staff who are all continuing to work but in a different way.

"People wanting to see a doctor need to phone to make an appointment. We are carrying out as many consultations by phone as we can to keep as many people out of the surgery as possible. But there are still people who need to come in for consultations so we are still open."

Flu clinics are being held but people need to ring and make an appointment.

"We can only order 60 vaccines a day so we are focusing on subsidised and high-priority patients. When clinics are held depends on when the vaccines come in. Once they are in we phone the people who have made appointments and give them a time to come in."

Chamberlain said people wanting Covid-19 testing can either phone the Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or phone the GP team.

"As at April 12 the seven-day testing average was three a day, but with the Ministry of Health approving more testing I think this will increase."

MidCentral Health said as at 11.59pm on Wednesday there were 29 Covid-19 cases in the DHB's district, made up of 24 confirmed and five probable.

Twenty-one people have recovered and no one was in hospital for Covid-19 in the MidCentral district.

There are 10 cases in Palmerston North, six in the wider Manawatū, nine in Horowhenua and four in Tararua.

MidCentral does not indicate which of these cases are confirmed and which are probable. In this region the age group most affected is the 20-29 with nine cases, followed by six in the 30-39 group, five in the 50-59 group, three under 19 and two in each of the 40-49, 60-69 and over-70 groups.