GPNZ Weekly Clinical Correspondence Panui 17.6.22 Care in the Community update for Primary Care COVID-19 Care in the Community •
The ongoing winter wellness campaign will include some videos to be posted this week on the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page, including one about primary care.
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The Ministry of Health has published a new video for older and disabled people who need to isolate with COVID-19
COVID-19 Clinical Care Module update •
Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) results from My Covid Record were not flowing through correctly to GP inboxes for two weeks from 25th May 2022 to 9th June 2022. It will take some days to clear this backlog and a large number of historical tests will land into GP inboxes as a result. For further information or to raise any concerns regarding this outage, please contact ESR CDR support at cdrsupport@esr.cri.nz
COVID-19 Response • •
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My Covid Record now allows people to request a face mask exemption pass on behalf of someone else. A Ministry of Health update on surveillance measures for monitoring new COVID-19 variants was the focus of a briefing last week, and a recording plus transcript of the briefing is available here.
From 11.59pm Monday 20 June, travelers coming to New Zealand no longer need to take a COVID-19 pre-departure test.
COVID-19 Vaccines • •
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The Ministry of Health has started publishing influenza vaccination data weekly, which includes uptake for those aged 55-64 and 65-plus by region and ethnicity. The Government is introducing a Bill to amend the Medicines Act, enabling second booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the most vulnerable (six months following their first booster) by all vaccinators without a prescription. Health professionals can access a range of Ministry resources to promote vaccinations here: Dropbox - NIP – Vaccine resources for health professionals - Simplify your life A reminder that the Ministry of Health aims to get 80% of healthcare workers vaccinated against flu, and will reimburse eligible employers of non-DHB employed healthcare workers for the costs of immunising staff against influenza.
One million New Zealanders have already received their flu vaccine in time for winter. That’s a great result, but everyone who is eligible for a free jab is being urged to get one, to help relieve pressure on the health system. Only 64 percent of New Zealanders aged 65 and over have had their flu vaccine. Now that businesses are no longer legally required to use My Vaccine Passes, the COVID19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Order 2021 has been revoked. This means only workers mandated to be vaccinated under the Government’s Vaccinations Order can apply for a temporary medical exemption and, if granted, the exemption is visible on their My Covid Record and the person can download a My