Covid 19 coronavirus: Whanganui testing centres see increase after Northland community case

In response to the latest community cases, 48 people in the Whanganui region had a Covid-19 swab between Sunday and Thursday. Photo / Bevan Conley

After the latest Covid-19 community case was discovered in Northland last weekend, a number of people in the Whanganui region took the opportunity to get tested.

The Whanganui District Health Board reported there were 48 Covid-19 tests in the region from last Sunday to Thursday afternoon.

A Whanganui DHB spokesman said the community based assessment centre (CBAC) testing station was closed for three days over the weekend and Wellington Anniversary Day.

On Tuesday 37 people were tested. The tests were taken at the CBAC and the Accident and Medical Clinic at Whanganui Hospital, as well as by GPs and district nurses in the region.

A further two tests were done on Wednesday and nine on Thursday at the Whanganui Hospital CBAC.

The DHB was present at the Rātana celebrations over the weekend, but mainly in an educational capacity. One person had a swab test at Rātana.

A 56-year-old woman from Northland was the first community case in the country in more than two months.

Since then, there have been two new cases in Auckland with the same South African strain of the virus discovered on Wednesday evening. The father and child pair stayed in the same quarantine facility as the Northland case.

The Whanganui DHB spokesman said the latest cases are a reminder Covid-19 is still around.

"The news this week of a community case of Covid-19 in Northland and further community cases from people who have left managed isolation in Auckland is a stark reminder that we must remain vigilant against the threat of the virus."

He reminded people of the importance of staying home if you're unwell and getting tested, washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into your elbow, regularly cleaning commonly touched surfaces and signing into places using the NZ Covid Tracer app.

"The Northland case has shown how important it is that people continue to use the NZ Covid Tracer app – this improves our chances of quickly stopping the spread of Covid-19 if new cases emerge in the community. People should keep scanning and... have bluetooth tracing enabled on the dashboard of the NZ Covid Tracer app.

"Bluetooth tracing allows people to receive an alert if they've been near another app user who tests positive for Covid-19. We ask that everyone makes this part of their daily routine as it allows people to be notified quickly if they are exposed to Covid-19 and is one of the most effective tools we have."

Those who are unable to use the NZ Covid Tracer app should keep a record of where they have been. A NZ Covid Tracer diary booklet is available and can be ordered through https://order.hpa.org.nz/collections/covid19/products/covid-19-booklet or by emailing covid19response@dpmc.govt.nz