Household Close Contacts

Household Close Contacts

These are people that live with the case and have ongoing exposure with the case. Primary care is responsible for following up household close contacts.

If household contacts can isolate completely away from case (i.e., in a room with separate bathroom, separate building, or caravan), their follow up will be by a public health provider (e.g., Healthline) who will do daily follow up and release phone calls.

Isolation and testing requirements are outlined in document POL-002 (available via the PHO Covid portal page http://portal.wboppho.org.nz/covid-19/ ), i.e., isolate for 10 days following the last exposure to the case, and test immediately, on days 5 and 8 post exposure.

The only acceptable reasons for a contact to leave their place of isolation are • to get one of the required follow-up swabs, or • to access urgently needed health care.

A contact cannot attend a vaccination clinic during their period of isolation.

Isolation time period:

Close contacts isolate during the case’s isolation PLUS for 10 days after the case is recovered and released from isolation.

Testing of Household members:

Test immediately when case is identified and on case’s day 5 Test on days 5 and 8 after case released If symptoms develop at any time, get an additional test immediately

Release:

Occurs the day after the 10 days of isolation that started when the case left isolation, provided no new or worsening symptoms AND negative day 8 test Note that a day 7 test is not acceptable for release, it must be day 8 or later. Primary care releases contacts. If there are new cases in the household: If a household contact becomes a case, Toi Te Ora will investigate the new case and send a referral for the new case to the PHO Single Point of Contact. The entire management plan is then repeated for the household contacts, i.e., everyone must isolate for another 10 days and require additional swabs (immediate, days 5 and 8). In other words, the ten-day isolation clock for household contacts is reset to zero. Primary care continues to follow up contacts and to ensure swabs are taken on the required days.

Q&As

Who takes the clinical lead if an isolating case/contact moves out of their DHB region and away from their usual GP due to accommodation issues? Currently the referral goes to the PHO/GP where the case/contact usually lives. The PHO decides if this is appropriate as they have best clinical knowledge and rapport with the case/contacts. If the PHO recommends follow up by the PHO of new location, Toi Te Ora can help facilitate this.

Who takes the lead for an elderly close contact isolating at home with welfare and medical needs? If the contact is isolating with a case, they are included with the case for follow up.