Vaccinations continue for the current eligible group as the supply of vaccine allows. The eligible group is made up of pregnant women, 65 years of age and older, healthcare workers and patients with chronic conditions, including children.

As supply of vaccine arrives, our teams schedule further clinics for this group. We have established systems in place for communicating with our eligible patients regarding these clinics. YOU WILL BE PHONED BY US WITH AN APPOINTMENT TIME. We are running the flu clinics as drive through clinics and we need to call you to talk you through what you have to do. We ask for your patience at this time.

There is a limited supply of vaccine and we are completing daily orders as per the Ministry of Health distribution guidelines.

Subject to supply and the current demand for vaccinations, clinics will be planned for other people who want a flu vaccination, as supply becomes available. We anticipate these will commence around late-April. We advise people to wait until we let you know that we can vaccinate those who are not eligilbe at present. As soon as we have been advised that we can do this we will let you know on Facebook, Kaikoura Star and by a notice at the Supermarket on their noticeboard

By Kaikōura Health Services Manager Angela Blunt

The Health Facility is still open and operating – we are just asking that instead of coming in, you phone first so we can make a telephone appointment for you.  If you do need to be seen you will still be seen.  Urgent care is still available.

Information about notifications of Positives cases

• Positive cases are confirmed by the Ministry of Health every day – you can check on health.govt.nz
• The Ministry of Health releases basic information about positive “cases” such as their age range, gender and the location they are based in. People are entitled to privacy about their health. However you may be contacted about a positive case during ‘contact tracing’
• If a test result comes back positive the Ministry of Health and district health boards track down people who may have been exposed to the virus through a process called contact tracing and provide health advice
• If our public health teams believe there may be some potential contacts they haven’t been able to reach, the information about the locations the person who tested positive may have been will be released 
• If you think you might be a close or casual contact, it doesn’t mean you have COVID-19. You will be contacted by public health staff or you can call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. They will give you advice on what you need to do
• Please remember as we all go through these exceptional circumstances – stay at home, wash your hands, and be kind to each other

Visitors to our rest home and inpatient services

There are NO visitors allowed during this lockdown period.  We will maintain contact with the families of our residents and inpatients. We understand how difficult it is for them not to be able to visit.  Arrangements are being made to enable virtual visits either by phone or videolink.

Flu clinics

The flu vaccine will soon be available for our most at risk to make sure that they get the best protection possible, as early as possible.   We will be contacting our priority groups to arrange for their vaccination early next week. Please DO NOT call us at this time we will be calling you in order of the priority groups set by the Ministry of Health.   The flu vaccine does not protect you against COVID-19 but making sure people most at risk of needing hospital care with the flu will help to manage the demand on our hospitals this winter. Keep your eye on the newspaper, our website and our Facebook page and the Kaikoura District Councils pages for information and dates for flu clinics.

Message from our Mental Health and Wellbeing team

• Remember at this time that it is important to maintain a regular routine as much as possible, take exercise, interact with others on the phone, via Skype, spend at least 2 hours a day in natural light.  
• Don’t forget to change the script, reframe your perception if you are feeling negative about the situation and look for positives and see this as an opportunity to spend more time together as a family, to get things done around the house or whatever makes you feel good.
• Maintain a good sleep routine, normal bedtimes and avoid that blue light from those screens for at least an hour prior to going to bed. 

Look after yourselves, your families and keep an eye on your neighbours.  Kia kaha 

By Kaikōura Health Services Manager Angela Blunt

Planning for COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus) in Kaikōura has been happening for some time – before we had any cases in New Zealand. The team at Kaikōura Health Te Hā O Te Ora formed a working group last month to make sure our local processes meet the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Canterbury DHB and we are working hard to ensure that we keep the community as safe as possible.  

You have an important role to help us keep everyone well, too. We need your help to ensure that NO potentially infectious people come into the health facility without calling first. 

If someone has been overseas in the last 14 days, have a cough, fever, sore throat or flu-like symptoms or have been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or with similar symptoms they should call Healthline’s free COVID -19 line on 0800 358 5453. Please spread the word to your friends and family about this process.

If Healthline advise you to contact your GP then please phone us on 03 319 3501 and let us know that you have these symptoms. We can’t say it enough times – please do not come into the facility without phoning ahead.

As part of our own safety measures all patients who phone for an appointment are now being asked a series of questions to ensure that we can triage you appropriately.  Patients who meet our triage criteria will be called or seen in a specially set-up room. 

If you do come into the facility with these symptoms you will be asked to return to your vehicle until a nurse or doctor can see you to assess you.  Please do not be offended by this, we are trying to minimise the chances of the virus spreading.

Please ensure that you use the hand sanitiser at the front door on entering the building and again when you leave.

As a precaution we have removed all magazines and toys from the waiting room but please feel free to bring your own books to read while you are waiting.  

Over the next few days we will be adjusting reception and the glass on their windows will be down with a small gap to enable them to talk with you.  This is to provide our staff protection to ensure they are able to continue to work.

Visitors to our rest home and inpatient services

We ask that if you have been overseas in the last 14 days, have a cough, sore throat, fever or flu like symptoms or have been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or with similar symptoms that you do not come and visit our residents or our inpatients in the Acute wing. These are some of our most vulnerable people.  

Flu clinics

The flu vaccine will soon be available, much earlier than normal, for our most at risk to make sure that they get the best protection possible, as early as possible. These groups are: people aged 65 and over, people who are pregnant, people with certain chronic conditions, and young children with a history of severe respiratory illness. The flu vaccine does not protect you against COVID-19 but making sure people most at risk of needing hospital care with the flu will help to manage the demand on our hospitals this winter. The vaccine will be available for the wider community from 13 April. To help meet likely demand, 40,000 extra vaccines have been ordered for the country. Keep your eye on the newspaper, our website and our Facebook page and the Kaikoura District Council pages for information and dates for flu clinics.

The team at Kaikōura Health Te Hā O Te Ora formed a working group in the last month to identify and ensure that local processes meet the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and the Canterbury DHB and we are working hard to ensure that we keep the community as safe as possible.  

We need your help to ensure that NO patients come into the Health facility without first calling Healthline’s COVID -19 line on 0800 358 5453   if they have been overseas in the last 14 days, have a cough, fever, sore throat or flu like symptoms or have been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or with similar symptoms.  Please spread the word to your friends and family about this process.

If Healthline advise you to contact your GP then please PHONE US first on 03 319-3501 and let us know that you have these symptoms.  Please do not come into the facility without phoning ahead.

As part of our own safety measures all patients who phone for an appointment from Tuesday 17^th March 2020 will be asked a series of questions to ensure that we can triage you appropriately.  Patients who meet our triage criteria will be seen called or seen in our specially set up room in the basement of the building.  This is to limit the chances of the virus coming into our facility where many vulnerable people are.  

If you do come into the facility with these symptoms you will be asked to return to your vehicle until a nurse or doctor can see you to assess you.  Please do not be offended by this, we are endeavouring to minimise the opportunities of spreading the virus.

Please ensure that you use the hand sanitiser at the front door on entering the building and again when you leave.

We have today removed all magazines and toys from the waiting room as a precaution but please feel free to bring your own books to read while you are waiting.  

Over the next few days we will be adjusting reception and the glass on their windows will be down with a small gap to enable them to talk with you.  This is to provide them protection to ensure they are able to continue to work.

VISITORS TO OUR REST HOME AND INPATIENT SERVICES– we ask that if you have been overseas in the last 14 days, have a cough, sore throat, fever or flu like symptoms or have been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or with similar symptoms that you do not come and visit our residents or our inpatients in the Acute wing.  These are some of our most vulnerable people.  

Flu vaccination will begin in April.

Once we have received the vaccine we will organise clinics and advertise these here on the website and in the Kaikoura Star.

If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19 (otherwise known as the CORONAVIRUS) you can phone the Ministry of Health on: 0800 358 5453.  The number is free and is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  

COVID-19 is spread by people coughing or sneezing, close personal contact and coming into contact with an object or surface with viral particles on it (then touching your mouth, nose or eyes).

Symptoms:  the symptoms are similar to a range of other illnesses such as influenza and do not necessarily mean you have COVID-19.  They include: fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.  Difficulty breathing can be a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.  

Please do not come to Kaikōura Health Te Hā O Te Ora unless instructed.

If you are concerned that you or a family member may have the virus we ask that you CALL and speak to a receptionist.    Our reception team will have a Nurse or Doctor call you.  If necessary we will arrange for you to come in via a side entrance and be seen in our isolation room.  This way we will minimise the chances of the infection being spread

Travellers who become sick within 14 days of their arrival in New Zealand are encouraged to seek medical advice.  It is important to mention any recent travel to China and/or any contact with someone with severe acute respiratory illness who has been in China.

Prevention

Keeping individuals, families and our communities safe and healthy in the current global environment requires a team effort. So practicing good hygiene, regularly washing your hands, and practicing good cough etiquette (maintaining distance, covering coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing and washing hands) is really important in keeping yourself and the community safe.

The most important way to stop the spread of infections: 

• Regularly wash your hands (for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap and dry thoroughly) 

• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze 

• Stay home if you’re sick 

• Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms 

• If you do feel unwell you should avoid public gatherings and events 

• On current advice, hand and cough hygiene are more effective than masks for reducing the spread of novel Coronavirus.

Where to go for further information 

The situation throughout the world is changing daily and the Ministry of Health is working to keep the health sector and the public up to date as these changes occur. You can ring Healthline (for free) on 0800 611 116 or you can visit the Ministry of Health’s website at:   www.health.govt.nz/coronavirus more information on 2019-nCoV