Healthcare professionals are reminding people to contact Healthline before visiting their doctors if they think they may have symptoms of Covid-19.
Director-general of Health Ashley Bloomfield yesterday confirmed the third case of the novel coronavirus in New Zealand.
While southern practices were not seeing a marked increase in presentations — fielding slightly more phone calls and questions — WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs was confident they were equipped to deal with the situation if cases were confirmed in Otago or Southland.
"I’m confident that the practices have the necessary equipment and the necessary training — but it is still evolving. What we do tomorrow may be different to today," he said yesterday.
"We have made contact with every single practice and said ‘Do you have the necessary PPE (personal protection equipment) to deal with the arrival of a patient with suspected coronavirus. And the majority of them did.
"Those that didn’t we have gotten a courier to them by Monday [with] the necessary equipment from either us or from the DHB. I’m confident that every practice has got what they need and we are working really hard on a supply chain for more if they need it."
There have been more than 95,000 cases of the virus reported around the world and more than 3200 deaths.
WellSouth medical director Dr Stephen Graham was in contact daily with the Southern District Health Board and Public Health South "making sure we all know what we’re doing that day on agreed plans", Mr Swanson-Dobbs said.
"It’s been a stunning response."
WellSouth continues to promote good hand hygiene, good coughing etiquette, advice not to touch one’s face and if people were concerned they could have symptoms of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, to call the Covid-19 Healthline number — 0800 358-5453 — in the first instance.
As with influenza, Covid-19 symptoms include fever, cough, body aches, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea.
