75 New COVID-19 Cases Confirmed in South Canterbury

75 NEW COVID-19 CASES CONFIRMED IN SOUTH CANTERBURY

Today’s cases

• Timaru District – 53
• Waimate District – 16
• Mackenzie District – 6
• Unknown – 1.

Active cases

• Timaru District – 335
• Waimate District – 88
• Mackenzie District - 22
• Unknown – 1
• Total active cases – 446.

Total cases recovered in 2022

• 16,425.

Cases in Timaru Hospital

• 3.

Beginning the week of 27 June 2022, the South Canterbury DHB COVID-19 Daily Update will transition to a weekly update on a Friday. Outside of this time, COVID-19 case numbers can be acquired via the Ministry of Health website.  

MATARIKI WEEKEND REMINDER
The long weekend is always an ideal time to get away and relax with whānau and friends – if you are going away, please remember to have plans in place in the event you contract COVID-19 or are identified as a household contact of a case.

You would need to self-isolate and likely remain wherever you test positive or become a household contact, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans.

If you have used your own vehicle to travel, you can travel back to your home to isolate, taking public health measures to ensure you don’t infect anyone on your way home – such as maintaining social distance (distancing yourself from others), wearing your mask correctly, making sure you keep your hands clean and dry and using self-service petrol stations if you need to refuel your vehicle.

However, if you have used public transport or travelled between islands, you won’t be able to travel to isolate at your home. So, it is important you have a plan and the ability to isolate where you are holidaying if you need to do so.

As with all variants of Omicron, the public health advice remains the same. Getting your booster remains one of the best defences against COVID-19. Stay home if you’re unwell, get tested if you’re symptomatic, wash and dry your hands, cover coughs and sneezes, wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor public settings and get vaccinated.

Even if you’ve had COVID-19 you should still get any COVID-19 vaccinations you’re eligible for. It’s recommended you wait 3 months after testing positive before getting any COVID-19 vaccination. Visit the Healthpoint website for a full list of vaccination clinics in South Canterbury.

The South Canterbury DHB encourages everyone in South Canterbury to be vigilant and get tested if they develop any symptoms of COVID-19, or if you are a Household Contact of a positive case.

If you complete a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) it’s important to report your positive or negative result on mycovidrecord.health.nz or call 0800 222 478 and press option 3. If you have COVID-19 and your symptoms are getting worse, please seek medical care before you get too sick, whether that is from your general practice or the South Canterbury COVID-19 Coordination Centre on 0800 111 880.

Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly due to different reporting cut off times. Unknown cases are due to the normal place of residence not being identified yet.

If you are showing COVID-19 symptoms or are a household contact you can pre-order a RAT online to collect at requestrats.covid19.health.nz or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3) from 8am to 8pm. You can have someone collect your order for you at a collection site.

Please note, all the RAT collection sites will be closed on Matariki.

Timaru Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection sites:

• Moyles Pharmacy
• 6 Dee Street, Timaru
• Monday – Friday
• 9am - 5pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

• Dee Street Pharmacy
• 5 Dee Street, Timaru
• Monday – Friday
• 9am - 5pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

• Highfield Pharmacy
• 145 Wai-Iti Road, Highfield, Timaru
• Monday- Friday, 9.30am - 5pm
• Saturday 10am - 2pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

• Roberts Pharmacy
• 45 Heaton Street, Timaru
• Monday- Friday, 9am - 5pm
• Saturday 10am - 1pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

Waimate Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection sites:

• Waimate Pharmacy 
• 84 Queen Street, Waimate
• Monday – Friday
• 8.30am – 5.30pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

• Oak House Medical Centre
• 161 Queen Street, Waimate,
• 03 689 7676 (pick up from Gorge Road entrance)
• Monday – Friday
• 10am – 12pm and 2pm - 5pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

Temuka Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection site:

• Temuka RAT Collection Site
• Hally Terrace, Temuka
• (near Domain Avenue)
• Sunday – Thursday
• (closed Friday and Saturday)
• 12.30pm – 4pm.

Geraldine Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection site:

• Geraldine Rugby Club, George Street
• Sunday - Thursday
• (closed Friday and Saturday)
• 9am to 11.30am.

Fairlie Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection site:

• Fairlie HealthCare Depot, 78 Main Street, Fairlie
• Monday – Friday
• 9am - 5.30pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

Twizel Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection site:

• MacKenzie Pharmacy, 6-7 Market Place, Twizel
• Monday – Friday, 9am - 5pm
• Every 2^nd Saturday from 1^st July, 10am - 2pm
• Please note, before going to this collection site, you need to place an order via (requestrats.covid19.health.nz) or by ringing 0800 222 478 (option 3).

The South Canterbury DHB is encouraging our community to look after their health to help reduce the pressure on the health system by following these steps to stay well this winter:

• Stay at home if you are unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19 and get a COVID-19 test. If your symptoms worsen or you are concerned about the health of someone you care for, call Healthline on 0800 358 5453, or your doctor
• Call 111 if you have an emergency. If your situation is less urgent consider calling Health on 0800 611 116 or your doctor
• Wear a face mask when on public transport, in indoor settings like retail stores and supermarkets, when in poorly ventilated spaces, or when it is hard to physically distance from other people
• Maintain good hand hygiene by washing and drying your hands thoroughly or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• Sneeze or cough into your elbow or a tissue. Avoid touching your face, dispose of tissues in a waste bin immediately and wash or sanitise your hands. This will prevent the risk of spreading COVID-19 and other viruses such as the common cold or flu
• Get your Winter Wellness Kit together: this might include painkillers, a thermometer, tissues, cold and flu medications, enough food and household items for a few days, and a good stock of the regular medicines you or your whānau will need.
• Eat well and stay active. Nutrition and physical activity play an important part in our overall health and wellbeing, including our bodies’ ability to fight off illness. Getting a good night’s sleep also helps
• Make sure you and your whānau are up to date with all available vaccinations against infectious diseases like influenza; measles, mumps and rubella; chicken pox; whooping cough (pertussis); pneumococcal diseases and COVID-19.

ENDS

Media contact:
Karen Berry
Communications Manager
South Canterbury District Health Board
P: 03 687 2395 | M: 021 139 7442
kberry@scdhb.health.nz