Coronavirus: Dunedin doctor never thought he'd see a pandemic

Dunedin doctor Daniel Pettigrew never thought he would see a pandemic such as Covid-19 in his lifetime.

"It's the kind of thing you learn about in the history of medicine.

"You don't think it will happen to you."

The Dunedin North Medical Centre where he worked was preparing for an increased workload and was aware of the potential for community transmission of the virus.

"We're bolstering our workload to cope with what we expect to be an increased demand.

"We're looking at ways we can free up waiting room time so patients aren't spending as long in there, and looking at a flu jab clinic."

The medical centre had been quieter last week, but this week there had been an increase in patients.

"Now that people are worrying, it is ramping up.

"The reality is, we are expecting to be busy dealing with people who are actually sick."

The testing process for a patient who was suspected to have coronavirus was designed to prevent interaction with others, Pettigrew said.

"In our practice, we are examining them in a car park.

"If we are aware of a potential patient before they come to the medical centre, we will have a conversation with them on the phone about whether they require a swab or not."

A single swab was taken from each nostril and the throat, he said.

"This is all under strict protection gear and is a sterile procedure, so there is no risk for us.

"When I took a test I was able to take as long as I needed.

"It took 30 to 40 minutes to do the whole process, by the time I had called the patient, they had come down, and [I] had taken the swab from them in their car."

While test results were taking only five hours at this stage, he said in practice it was about a 24-hour turnaround for results.

The centre had not dealt with capacity issues yet, but "the concern is that we will see what has happened in other places where they are overloaded".

At the first case of community transmission, his wife and children, and his wife's parents would go to their holiday house in Naseby.

"My family is safer that way.

"If there is a chance that I could catch it from a patient, I would need to self-isolate."

He urged people to trust the medical system and doctors.

"The mobilisation of health resources at this point in time is in a good place — everyone's working well together.

"Listen to Ministry of Health advice, call Healthline if you have concerns."

Pettigrew said predictions about the future of the pandemic were impossible, but he was prepared for the pandemic to continue through autumn and winter.

• Do you have symptoms of the coronavirus? Call Healthline 0800 358-5453