Te Whatu Ora Southern COVID-19 Update 09 August 2022

Key Messages  

• Make sure you and your household prepare and have a plan ready for if you are required to isolate at home. More information about creating a plan and getting prepared is available here. 
   

• You can be infected with COVID-19 more than once. Many people throughout Southern and Aotearoa are now discovering this. Please be vigilant when out in the community and wear a mask, practise good hand hygiene and physical distancing where appropriate.   
   

• It is not too late to get your COVID-19 booster. Apart from mask wearing, a COVID-19 booster dose is your best form of defence against severe COVID-19 infection. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to build full protection against COVID-19, so the time to act is now.  
   

• It is now more important than ever to wear a mask when out in public. Wearing a mask is the easiest way you can protect yourself, your whānau, and the vulnerable members of your community from getting COVID-19.  

COVID-19 Booster Doses  

“Immunity from two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine decreases over time so it is important to top up our defences,” says Southern COVID-19 Vaccination Programme Lead Karl Metzler. 

“A booster helps reduce your chances of serious illness and hospitalisation, which will also reduce the pressure on our health services.” 

If you are aged 18 or over, you are eligible for a booster 3 months after your last dose, and if you are 16-17 you are eligible for a booster 6 months after your last dose. 

A second booster is recommended for those at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a minimum of 6 months after a first booster. This includes people aged 65 and over, Māori and Pasifika aged 50 and over, and immunocompromised people. 

“Even if you have had COVID-19, you should still get vaccinated to give yourself the best protection because we don’t know how long your natural immunity will protect you against getting it again, or getting another variant,” Metzler said. 

You should wait 3 months after recovery from COVID-19 before getting a COVID-19 vaccination.  

Hospitalisation figures  

Current hospitalisations as at 2pm 09 August 2022   

Please note that hospitalisation data does not differentiate between patients admitted because of COVID-19 infection versus those admitted for a separate reason who happen to also have COVID-19 (incidental COVID-19 infection).   

The Ministry of Health total figures for Southern for the previous 24 hours are:  

• 434 new positive cases   

• 2809 (not recovered from last 7 days)   

Current cases as of 11.59pm 08 August 2022   

Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO. Due to the increased use of RATs and system lag issues there may be a discrepancy in the number of total active cases from the territorial authority breakdown.  

A decision has been made nationally that areas with less than 5 new cases per 24-hour period will be reported as “<5”. All territorial authorities with less than 100 cases will have their case numbers rounded to the nearest 5. We are unable to supply further information. Please contact the Ministry of Health directly for more information about these decisions.   

Testing locations and hours of operation can be found on the WellSouth website.   

If you have any questions about COVID-19, self-isolation, or what you need to do if you test positive, please call Healthline on 0800 358 5453.  

If you are self-isolating and require welfare support such as help getting groceries, please call 0800 512 337 Monday-Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday/Sunday/Public Holidays 8am-1pm.  

For help accessing COVID-19 testing in the Southern region and to find your nearest testing center please call the WellSouth call center on 0800 VIRUS19 (0800 847 8719).   

If you have concerns about COVID-19 symptoms, please call your general practice or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 at any time. If you are very unwell or having breathing difficulties, please call 111 immediately.