Release from Community Monitoring

TTO Guidelines: Managing cases and household close contacts in primary care

Version 03, 2 December 2021

Given the rapidly moving nature of COVID-19 and public health response, this document will change and be updated as necessary.

Toi Te Ora contacts:

Non urgent: ttoimtclinicalcaseadvisor@bopdhb.govt.nz (8am - 5pm, 7 days a week) Urgent: On call COVID-19 Clinical Case Advisor: 027 336 9159 (8am – 5pm, 7 days aweek). After Hours: On call Health Protection Officer: 0800 221 555 Medical Officer of Health: via Tauranga Hospital switchboard

Covid-19 Cases

Cases are referred from Toi Te Ora via referral form to PHO Single Point of Contact. Every referral includes household contacts (statistically about half of all household contacts become cases).

Isolation time period: Fully vaccinated* cases: 10 days isolation (and symptom free for 72 hours before release) Unvaccinated cases: 14 days (and symptom free for 72 hours before release)

Day 0 is the first day of symptoms. If the case has been completely asymptomatic, Day 0 is the day of the swab. The clinical referral from Toi Te Ora includes the day 0 date.

Testing:

Once a person returns a positive swab result there is no point in having a further swab as the individual is likely to remain PCR positive for up to several months

Release:

Occurs the day after the isolation period to ensure completion of isolation. Primary care releases case (letter template available see Appendix 2). Email Covid Primary Response Team: cprt@healthbop.org.nz with completed release checklist (Appendix 3) CPRT will inform TTO so that they can update national records.

Note: Both the letter template and release checklist are available to download from the PHO Covid portal page http://portal.wboppho.org.nz/covid-19/

Please contact Toi Te Ora if:

Case is going to hospital or for palliative care Any public health concerns, i.e., compliance, questions about isolation/testing. Case remembers a new location of interest they attended, especially if high risk, e.g., marae, hospital, prison, aged care facility.

*Fully vaccinated: 7 days since second COVID-19 vaccination