Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Lakes DHB 'prepared' after Covid-19 case in Katikati appears, CEO says

A Lakes District Health Board boss says medical staff and facilities are prepared if any Covid-19 cases emerge in the community.

The statement comes after the Bay of Plenty region recorded its first Covid-19 case associated with the latest Delta outbreak over the weekend when a person living near Katikati tested positive.

The person had been living in Pukekohe but was in the process of moving to a rural area north of the small Bay of Plenty coastal community.

The case was confirmed on Saturday but public health assessments indicated there was a 'low risk' of any further spread of the virus.

Lakes DHB chief executive Nick Saville-Wood said medical staff and facilities were prepared if any local cases appeared.

"We've been manning the battle stations for some months now," he said. "The hospital will be all prepared."

Sometimes the DHB had staff that travelled from the Western Bay of Plenty and they would be encouraged to get tested, Saville-Wood said.

People queue to receive a test at the Katikati pop-up centre on Sunday morning. Photo / Carmen Hall

He also said the DHB would continue to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Board Covid-19 incident controller Dr Phil Shoemack said it would take between 10 and 14 days to know for sure that that there had been no further spread.

Until then, it was important to keep up to date with Ministry of Health guidance, he said.

"If everyone follows the guidance that's been coming out from the Ministry of Health then it benefits them and everyone around them," he said.

"If everyone did that we'd get through this with less risk."

Shoemack said people who had been in Katikati should keep an eye on the locations of interest and any updates from the Ministry.

For other Bay of Plenty residents, Shoemack said it was important to keep looking at the Ministry of Health website and to follow the advice provided.

"Get your vaccination organised as soon as you can, wear a mask and if you need to,get a swab and stay home until you get a negative result."

Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Board Covid-19 incident controller Dr Phil Shoemack. Photo / NZME

University of Auckland associate professor and microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said the way the recent Covid-19 case followed the rules "made a huge difference".

"They're infectious for less time. They've been having the tests as they've been moving, and because of that they have a pretty good idea of when a person has been infectious, if they have been infectious at all."

"Obviously the more of us who are vaccinated the more protection we have. Using things like the Covid tracer app really helps contact tracers identify where other people have been exposed."

Wiles said recent cases showed the Auckland border was "not impenetrable."

"Anybody outside of Auckland who thinks the virus won't find them or their community needs to start paying attention. Regardless of where you are in the country, use the app and get vaccinated. If you got your first vaccine tomorrow it would be about five weeks before you were fully protected. We need to think ahead."

University of Auckland associate professor and microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles. Photo / NZME

Test results of the Katikati case suggested the infection was in its early stages.

The person was fully vaccinated and reported no symptoms apart from regular seasonal hay fever before testing positive.

They were also a consistent user of the tracer app and had been having regular surveillance testing, given that they had been permitted to cross the Auckland boundary to move house.

At least five tests had been taken since the beginning of September, with the most recent being on October 5. All five were negative.

All family members of the case have been tested and were currently isolating.

Katikati residents and visitors since Wednesday October 6 were asked to keep checking the locations of interest page on the Ministry of Health's website.

Several locations of interest and possible exposure windows have been identified in Katikati from Thursday and Friday.

People have been encouraged to get tested if they were there or have symptoms.

Western Bay of Plenty District mayor Garry Webber said the "low risk" assessment did not change the situation moving forward.

"Regardless of the level of the result, we have a positive result and we just have to go with the flow," he said.

"We're in the hands of the health authorities from here."

Webber said he was grateful that the person who tested positive was by all accounts a "model citizen."

"They're fully vaccinated and they have followed the Government's guidelines to the minutest detail. If every citizen did as this person has done we'd be in a better situation."

Western Bay of Plenty District mayor Garry Webber. Photo / George Novak

Webber said the most important message had not changed.

"Vaccination is the only solution."

Katikati Antiques and Interiors owner Alice McNeil found out her store was a location of interest on Sunday morning.

When asked about her first reaction to the news, McNeil said the first word that came to mind was: "God."

"I'm not opening and I'm going down the road to get a test," she said yesterday.McNeil, who had owned the store for the past 16 years, and her one staff member were going to get tested.

Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow said the positive case visited its charity shop, not the health service.

"I don't want any of our patients or their families to panic," he said yesterday. "We've put into play our plans for coping with this."

The Katikati hospice shop was closed and reopening would be reviewed after five days, Thurlow said.

"That's really all we can do for now. It's very sad."

Nurse Jessy Tamihana and Te Manu Toroa Health Services Māngai Chris Jacob at a Katikati pop-up testing centre this morning. Photo / Carmen Hall

Katikati Community Board member Kate Sutherland said townspeople would continue to support each other.

"People are quite vigilant. Our elderly population [is] quite large and we tend to know each other in Katikati. So we all look after each other."

She hoped no more positive cases would emerge as she imagined a level 3 lockdown would come into effect.

"I suppose the thing to do is just get tested and get your jab."

Chrome Cafe owner Trudy Robinson had been urging her staff to get tested after one cafe employee was found to have been at a location of interest.

Robinson opened the cafe yesterdayfor business but said it was very quiet.

"I think people are scared now that it's so close to home," she said.