Doctors referring people with respiratory illness to the War Memorial Assessment Centre are following new case definition guidelines released by the Ministry of Health.
The city-based centre has been set up by primary care practitioners and Hauora Tairawhiti and is strictly for patients with respiratory symptoms who have been referred there by their own GP.
Lead clinician Dr Fergus Aitcheson says local GPs will assess each of their patients to consider the risks and benefits for assessment and testing.
“We want to do as much testing as possible in our community to determine if we have community spread but we also need to focus our efforts on the people most likely to be positive to make the testing meaningful.”
“We aim to test those people who fit the typical clinical scenario of fever, persistent cough, shortness of breath or sore throat.”
Dr Aitcheson says testing will also focus on those people who have the biggest potential to transmit infection.
“There are some people who pose a higher risk if they are found to be COVID-19 positive, for example essential workers.”
“These people have bigger bubbles and therefore there are wider implications if they are positive. People who live in vulnerable settings like aged residential care or homes where there are more people, are also at higher risk for transmitting the disease.”
“By following the Ministry of Health’s guidelines we are more likely to get the best outcomes for our whole population.”
Anyone who is worried should contact their own GP by phone to receive the best advice for them.
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