Weak positive Covid-19 case on the West Coast
Public health staff are investigating a weak positive Covid-19 test result on the West Coast, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
Repeat testing is under way to establish whether the Hokitika case is acute or historical, a ministry spokeswoman said.
People who had the virus may continue to shed fragments of it for some weeks after they have recovered, without being infectious to others.
The ministry on Monday evening published a single location of interest, New World Hokitika, “out of an abundance of caution”, she said.
The woman, who is double-vaccinated, is a worker at Besgrow’s Coastpak Sphagnum Moss factory in Hokitika. She tested returned two positive tests after returning from a holiday in the North Island, Besgrow managing director Anthony Washington said.
Besgrow is testing any staff who have recently travelled to the North Island when they return to work, using rapid antigen tests. The woman took the test in her car when she came back to the factory on Monday morning and took a PCR test afterwards, which also came out positive on Monday afternoon, he said.
“We are really happy that everything we have put in place has captured [the case] early and stopped any potential infection in the community,” Washington said.
The person who tested the woman at the factory was in full PPE and is now isolating too, he said.
The company ordered 300 rapid antigen tests before Christmas to cover 25 employees and has just ordered more to continue testing staff returning from locations of interest, Washington said.
It is the first case that has been recorded on the West Coast for 22 months, after a historical case was also confirmed on the coast yesterday. The historical case, who had Covid-19 in the past but had since recovered, was recorded in yesterday’s Ministry of Health official figures. The weak positive case is yet to appear in the official tally.
West Coast District Health Board (DHB) senior responsible officer for Covid-19 Philip Wheble said the DHB had set up additional testing capacity at the Hokitika Health Centre for the next two days.
A pop-up testing clinic is operating at Hokitika Health Centre from 10.30am to 12pm; 1.30pm – 3pm, Tuesday and Wednesday. Testing is free for anyone with symptoms or who has been advised to get tested by public health, but people should phone Healthline to make an appointment, the Ministry of Health said.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.4% Summer
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36.1% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
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