23 August COVID-19 health key messages

Latest COVID-19 health key messages Approved messages for use in your communications Consistent messaging helps us to coordinate our efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This document provides approved key messages from the Ministry of Health.

You may share this messaging with your internal and external audiences. New sections and changes to messages are in red.

23 August 2021

New Zealand to remain in lockdown The Prime Minister has announced that most of New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm on Friday 27 August 2021.

Auckland will remain at Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 August 2021.

New community cases announced There are 35 new cases of COVID-19 in the New Zealand community to confirm today. Of these 33 are in Auckland and two are in Wellington.

This brings the total number of cases in the community outbreak to 107.

All of the cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility, under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE. The total number of community cases in Auckland is now 99 and Wellington’s number of community cases has increased to eight.

Of the 107 cases in the cluster, 72 are already epidemiologically linked to other community cases identified in the outbreak. Investigations are continuing to determine whether and how the remaining 35 cases are linked to the outbreak, however most have a plausible link on initial assessment. For example, people were at a location of interest. We will continue to release this information and new locations of interest as it becomes available.

Read the full media statement here View the locations of interest

Testing update If you were at a location of interest, at the specified times, or have cold and flu symptoms, please call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on testing.

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By calling Healthline for advice on testing, people who have been at locations of interest at relevant times are logged into the contact tracing system. This means their swab can be tracked and processed faster by the laboratories.

District Health Boards remain focussed on meeting testing demand and standing up additional testing centres if, and when, needed.

When you go for a test, please wear a mask, scan in to the QR codes located on site and if possible take your NHI number with you. This is likely to speed up the process. You’ll be able to find your NHI number of a hospital letter, a prescription or prescription receipt. The Ministry has also established a new 0800 number to find out - 0800 855 066.

Everyone can get tested – you do not need to be a New Zealand citizen or resident. And don’t worry, your details won’t be shared with anyone else. Remember to be kind to the staff. They're working as quickly and as carefully as they can.

Yesterday, 35,766 tests were processed across New Zealand.

Contact tracing Public health staff across New Zealand continue to contact trace, with a focus on higher risk locations.

The number of contacts has increased significantly. This is something we expected as we identify more cases and test in large numbers.

As of 8am today, 13,230 individual contacts have been identified – and this number will increase throughout the day, as records are fully processed.

The majority of these contacts are close contacts. Of these contacts, 6,773 have been contacted by public health staff and are self-isolating, and 42% have had a test.

Work is underway to contact the remaining 6,457 contacts.

Informed consent for children Those aged between 12 and 15 years who go to their usual healthcare provider or a COVID-19 vaccination centre for a COVID-19 vaccine can provide informed consent, if deemed competent to consent, and be given the vaccine.

As with other vaccination programmes and under New Zealand law, children under the age of 16 years may give or withhold consent to healthcare treatment, so long as they are competent to do so.

It is the role of the healthcare professional to decide whether a child is competent.

A child can be considered competent to consent “when a child achieves sufficient understanding and maturity to fully comprehend the proposed treatment”.

A parent or caregiver is also able to give informed consent on behalf of the young person.

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Mental health and wellbeing General • It is important to remember that our approach has worked to date. We have stamped out Covid-19 before and we can do it again.

• This can be an unsettling time, and the uncertainty can have an impact on our mental wellbeing. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, upset or frustrated.

• Please take advantage of free tools and resources available to support your mental wellbeing, this includes calling 1737 if you feel you need to talk to someone, or calling your local GP practice or student health service that can provide advice on how to get help to support your mental wellbeing during Alert Level 4. Further resources are listed on the Ministry of Health website.

• If your feelings are impacting on your day-to-day function or are concerning you, please to talk to others and get support.

• Keeping life as “normal” as you can within the Level 4 rules is important. There are some things that we can do to look after our mental wellbeing: o Stay connected with friends and whānau (distance, not distant). o Limit your time online. o Have a plan! Stick to a schedule or routine. o Move your body daily. o Explore your local neighbourhood (at an appropriate distance). o Go easy on yourself. o Notice and appreciate small moments of joy.

Support for young people • Things also may be especially challenging for young people, including university students who may be isolating in hostels or halls of residence. For people in this situation looking after your mental wellbeing is important, and can be supported through: o having a routine within your day that includes getting out of bed and getting dressed o some form of physical movement, even within your room o one thing that gives you some sense of achievement for the day • Youthline’s free call, text or web chat and 1737 are also available for young people who need to speak with someone about their mental wellbeing. In addition, a range of digital self-help tools are available for rangatahi, listed on the Ministry of Health website.

Mental health and addiction services under Alert Level 4 • Mental health and addiction services remain an essential service under Level 4. If you are concerned about yourself, or someone you know, local GP clinics and student health services are continuing to operate and can help link people into the mental health and addiction support that may be needed. Local mental health and addiction crisis services also continue to operate. All the contact details are available on the Ministry of Health website.

• As always, if there is an emergency and you have immediate fears for the safety of yourself or others, call 111.

Speculation about suspected self-inflicted death numbers • Only the Office of the Chief Coroner can release information about suspected self-inflicted deaths.

• People should refrain from speculating about the relationships between the COVID-19 response and suicide risk. Doing so does not contribute to preventing suicide, and has the potential to cause significant harm by undermining a narrative of hope and positivity, and making people less likely to seek help.

• While the COVID-19 response may have significant, long term effects on people’s lives, an increase in suicides is not inevitable.

• International research including data from New Zealand showed no increase in suicide deaths associated with COVID-19 responses in 2020.

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Maternity services sector The Ministry has updated it’s guidance for maternity services at Alert levels 3 and 4 for community-based midwives, the use of Entonox in labour and community-based maternity ultrasounds.

View the updated guidance on our website

Exemptions for mask use in Alert Level 4 We know that some people who have a disability or health condition may not be able to wear a face covering safely or comfortably. In these cases, you can get an exemption card to show when needed, for example to bus drivers or at supermarkets. To get an exemption card contact the Disabled Persons Assembly NZ www.dpa.org.nz or by phone 04 801 9100 or at info@dpa.org.nz Please be mindful that some people, like disabled people, might not wear a mask. This is a genuine concern, and disabled people still have the right to food, pharmacies, and other essential services but are currently being jeered at, harassed, and scared to go shopping.

Access to health and disability services We have added a page on our website with information on how to access health and disability services at Alert Level 4 which covers: •

hospitals

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general practices

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community health services

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disability and aged care services

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mental health and addiction services.

Find information on how to access health and disability services at Alert Level 4

Aged Residential Care and Disability Residential Care • •

Aged residential care and disability residential care are essential services and must continue to be available.

Essential personal care services, such as toileting, washing and feeding, should be provided as usual.

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Some home help, such as house cleaning, may be available if it can be provided safely.

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Essential supported living services will continue.

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For aged residential care, hospices and disability residential care, family visits are not currently permitted.

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Under Alert Level 4, there are no exemptions for end-of-life visits.

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Planned respite services will be suspended, but urgent respite care may be provided.

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Support persons are permitted under right 8 of the Health and Disability Code.

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NGO delivered services, such as social connection, health promotion and education activities are suspended, however other non-contact ways of providing this support are encouraged, such as ZOOM or by phone.

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Retirement villages operate within same restrictions as the wider community, with on-site facilities closed.

If you are not safe, you can leave your bubble

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If you are the victim of family violence, sexual violence, or there is someone that makes you fearful, threatens or harasses you, seek help as soon as possible. You have the right to be safe. Family violence and sexual violence support lines are open for people to call, email or text.

If someone is in danger, call 111. If you or someone you know is in danger and it is not safe to talk, Police have the Silent Solution – phone 111 and if you do not speak, you will get the option of pressing 55.

Find out more about the help and support available

Information for screening participants With New Zealand now experiencing a COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, routine screening will be paused for breast and cervical screening services. At present bowel screening will continue. Bowel screening invitations and home testing kits will continue to be sent out. If you receive a kit in the mail you should complete it and send it back as soon as possible.

For those who have already been screened, the decision for diagnostic and treatment services will be made by the clinical teams at a local and regional level on a case-by-case basis.

The National Screening Unit is advising screening providers to follow Level 4 processes.

For up-to-date information on breast, cervical, and bowel screening, and antenatal and newborn screening visit the Time to Screen website

Immunising children during Alert Level 4 Children can be immunised safely during all COVID-19 alert levels, including Alert Level 4. Your doctor or nurse can explain how it works at their practice, for example whether immunisations take place at a separate location or time from other patients.

Protecting against other serious diseases, like measles and whooping cough remains important during all COVID19 alert levels. For their best protection, immunise on time, every time.

Staying home during Alert Level 4 At Alert Level 4 people must stay home other than for essential personal movement, such as accessing healthcare or going to the supermarket. Even if you are vaccinated you should still stay at home.

The Student Volunteer Army will be restarting their grocery delivery service from 12pm Thursday 19 August. To place an order visit www.shop.sva.org.nz or call 0800 005 902.

Support is available for older people during Alert Level 4 Anyone can call Age Concern New Zealand on 0800 65 2 105 to get advice and support.

Read more advice on Alert Level 4 for older people

Section 70 notice issued There is a section 70 notice in place requiring any person who has been at the locations of interest must follow health orders. Failure to comply can result in a fine or imprisonment.

View the full details of the Section 70 order and requirements on our website

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Section 70 notice applies to household contacts A section 70 now also applies to household contacts. Household members of a person who has been at a location of interest, or those who have been classed as a contact, must isolate at home until the contact receives a negative test.

View the full details of the Section 70 order and requirements on our website

Section 70 exemptions for essential health services Under Section 70 of the Health Act, any person or household member that has attended a location of interest or has been categorized as a close contact is required to isolate until they have had a negative day five COVID-19 test result.

This direction does not apply to people in roles that provide an essential health service – “a service provided for the purpose of assessing, improving, protecting, or managing the physical or mental health of individuals or groups of individuals” - as long as the following conditions are met: •

The person is vaccinated, having received 2 injections of the Pfizer/Biotech COVID-19 vaccine

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The close contact of the household member has been tested for COVID-19 following the exposure event and has received a negative result

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The negative test result must be from a RT-PCR test

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No household members have symptoms of COVID-19

Failure or refusal to comply with this direction is an offence under S70 of the Health Act 1957.

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