By Mandy Te
Aotearoa is now in phase two of its Omicron plan, as we see the highest daily case numbers reported by the Ministry of Health since the pandemic began.
Speaking to media on Wednesday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said phase two and three were all about flattening the curve.
“We want to reduce the number of cases and spread of cases to the greatest extent possible,” Bloomfield said.
The aim is to reduce case numbers so hospitalisation levels can remain low and healthcare workers can focus on helping the more vulnerable population.
But what does this all mean? Re: explains phase two of New Zealand’s Omicron plan.
How do I get a Covid-19 test during phase two?
Covid-19 testing stations across the country are still open and PCR testing - a swab from the nose or throat - will still be available. This will continue to be the main way of identifying Covid-19 cases.
During phase two, rapid antigen tests may be used in addition to PCR testing.
As case numbers increase, rapid antigen tests will start to play a role in identifying cases, Bloomfield said.
Rapid antigen tests are taken with a nose swab that goes about 2 centimetres into an adult’s nostril and no more than 2 cm for a child.
People can take these under supervision or by themselves.
In phase two, these will be used to allow critical workers, who are close contacts of a case, to go to work if they test negative.
What happens if I test positive for Covid-19?
If you test positive for Covid-19, you will be told by text message from the phone number 2328.
The text message will have links to information on self-isolation, how to tell others you have Covid-19, how to look after yourself and what help is available for you.
People who test positive for Covid-19 will have to fill out a web-based form.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said this form is to ensure that those with the highest needs - either health or welfare - are prioritised.
“This might be, for example, if a person is immunocompromised or has an underlying illness that would be severely impacted by contracting Covid-19,” Bloomfield said.
Previously, the Ministry of Health’s contact tracers would identify cases and their close contacts.
Now under phase two, it will be up to Covid-19 cases to identify their close contacts online for contact tracing purposes and to highlight any high-risk exposure events. It’s also up to them to tell their employer they have been infected with Covid-19.
Bloomfield said “notifying cases by text will speed up the process and help reduce spread as cases can be contacted quickly - as soon as a positive result is confirmed by the laboratory- and isolate early. Their contacts can then also isolate early”.
Interviews over the phone by public health investigators will still continue for cases at places like Aged Residential Care facilities and Correction facilities, and for people who don’t have mobiles or computers.
There will also be local coordination hubs to ensure nobody slips through the net.
People from these hubs will be monitoring the list of people with Covid-19 and they will be able to see when they have first contact and first assessment. For those that don’t have an assessment, people from the hubs will follow up.
Who is a close contact?
The Ministry of Health considers people as close contacts if they live with an infected Covid-19 person, have been within 1.5 metres of someone who is positive for more than 15 minutes and they were not wearing their mask properly or at all.
You’re also a close contact if you have direct contact with someone who has Covid-19. This could be kissing, sharing a cigarette, vape or drink bottle, or if the person coughed or sneezed on you.
People in an indoor space with someone with Covid-19 for more than an hour are considered close contacts if at least one of the following happened:
- The case was singing, shouting, smoking, vaping, exercising or dancing,
- The case was not wearing a mask or it was not on properly
- The indoor space was poorly ventilated
- The indoor space was smaller than 100m2 (about 3 double garages).
I have Covid-19. How long do I isolate for?
In phase two, cases and people who live in the same households - called household contacts - will have to isolate for 10 days.
Day 1 of your isolation period begins on the day you get your first positive test.
What do household contacts need to do?
Household contacts should start isolating on the day a person gets their positive test result.
Household contacts will need a test on Day 3 and Day 8 or a test if they become symptomatic.
What about close contacts that aren’t from the same household?
They will need to isolate for seven days and on Day 5 they will need to get tested or get a test if they become symptomatic.
For people who may not be able to self-isolate, there are alternative accommodation options available across the country.
How will you find out if you are a close contact?
Contacts will get a text message with links to information on what they need to do to manage themselves.
QR scans, Bluetooth and locations of interest will continue to be used along with positive Covid-19 cases recalling who they have interacted with, or where they have been to find contacts.
What if I'm a secondary contact, aka a contact of a close contact?
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said under phase two, secondary contacts or casual contacts are no longer identified or required to take action.
On the Ministry of Health’s Unite Against Covid-19 website, it says people living with a close contact do not need to self isolate.
People - vaccinated or not fully vaccinated - can leave their homes, go to work or school, and go shopping.
However, if a close contact tests positive, you are now considered a close contact and should follow those rules.
What happens if I can’t be bothered to follow the rules?
A section in the Health Act is in place for cases, close contacts and household contacts to isolate and get tested as part of the move to phase two of the Omicron plan.
This means that an authorised health medical officer requires these people to get tested and to isolate. Any time a person receives an instruction from a medical officer of health, they must follow the rules.
Police can help these medical officers enforce these rules - this includes entering and inspecting any land, building, aircraft, ship or vehicle.
Top Image: A sick woman at home. (File photo) Photo: ElenaBoronina/iStock
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