Source: Radio New Zealand
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Wastewater testing is showing an increase in Covid cases, and hospitalisations are on the rise as New Zealand enters it’s ninth Covid wave.
National Clinical Director of the Public Health Service Dr Susan Jack told Checkpoint many people aren’t testing for Covid, and the best way to track numbers is through wastewater.
“It is a good reflection. These days we know that testing is not so available, so wastewater testing is a really good indication of if we have got a surge in cases.
“There has also been an increase in hospitalisations, correlating with what we are seeing in the wastewater.
“It does look like we are going into a wave. Maybe more a ripple than a wave compared to previous years.”
Dr Jack said many people can’t afford rapid antigen tests (RATs), and there is a reduced amount of people who are able to test. But Dr Jack said the wastewater testing does provide accurate information.
“It is good if you can afford it, please keep some RATs at home and test. But if not, we have the wastewater testing to fall back on.”
While wastewater testing provides an accurate account of Covid cases in the community, Dr Jack said one issue is that individuals do not know if they have Covid, and so the advice is to stay home if you have a runny nose, cough, or any sort of respiratory symptoms.
“If you do need to go out then we ask people to wear a mask.”
While Covid cases are on the rise, so to are vaccination numbers.
Dr Jack said last week around 20,000 Covid vaccinations were administered.
“Vaccinations have increased since this latest burst of media focus on Covid, and we are really encouraging people as we head into winter, if you are due for your Covid vaccination please get it at the same time as you get your Flu vaccination, and that will be widely available from the first of April.”
Dr Jack said over time immunity does wane, and the best way to counter this is by keeping up with Covid boosters.
While there is not one dominant strain of Covid at the moment, Dr Jack said that older vaccines will still provide some immunity against newer Covid strains.
“They have tweaked the vaccine variant and we have got a new one that has just been released. But the older one still provides good protection against what we have got circulating.”
Dr Jack also said it was a good idea to call your pharmacy ahead of getting your vaccine to ensure they have stock, but that the vaccine is widely available.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
