Dunedin is edging towards 4000 active Covid cases and Queenstown has almost hit 1000 as the outbreak spreads in the South.
The Southern District Health Board is reporting 582 new cases in its area today.
There are 331 new cases in Dunedin, taking the city's active total to 3734, while 116 new cases in the Queenstown-Lakes area take its total to 996.
The SDHB says there are 5550 active cases in the South today.
There is one person in the SDHB area in hospital with the virus today, the Ministry of Health says.
The SDHB today confirmed an outbreak at an aged care facility in Dunedin.
It was reported earlier that 20 of 26 residents in an unnamed facility had tested positive to Covid-19.
It was being managed within the facility and none of the residents had required hospital care, SDHB Covid response leader Hywel Lloyd said.
In its statement this afternoon, the SDHB said it "can confirm that there is a facility in Dunedin at which the majority of its residents have tested positive for COVID-19".
"Most have symptoms that are not severe, with most residents remaining relatively ‘well’ despite having the virus.
"Facility management have communicated directly with families and with staff regarding this outbreak, and are being supported by SDHB staff.
"We are confident that all possible measures are being taken to protect residents’ health, and that of staff in these facilities."
Disruptions to health services
The SDHB said it had "robust plans" in place for a large-scale Covid-19 outbreak.
"Our hospitals, health system and staff are prepared for many different scenarios as the current outbreak unfolds.
"As we see the number of Covid-19 cases in the community increase, it is not unexpected that our Southern Health workforce will also be directly affected, with some testing positive for Covid-19 or needing to self-isolate.
"Impacts as a result of Covid-19 in our workforce have been planned for. There is currently no impact on services as a result of staff being infected by Covid-19 or having to self-isolate."
Training exercise at Dunedin Public Hospital
A training exercise is being undertaken this evening at the hospital, which will involve a tent being erected to see how it would operate in the event of an expected surge of patients at the hospital.
"The purpose of this training exercise is to identify any logistical or health and safety issues in the operation of the tent, and to ensure the tent can be effectively deployed if it is required to help manage the anticipated COVID-19 surge in patients presenting themselves at Dunedin Hospital.
"It will also give the hospital and St John team time to address any issues and run staff through a brief induction process."
The tent is being erected at the hospital’s Emergency Department, just to the left of the ambulance bay. This will temporarily restrict vehicles from being able to drive completely around the concourse. The tent will remain onsite for 24 hours.
* 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.
