Toi Te Ora Public Health PO Box 2120 TAURANGA 3140
27 March 2020
Tēnā koutou Please find below confirmation of current advice with regards to the following operational aspects: • Re-testing of symptomatic patients who test negative for COVID-19 • Health professionals who are symptomatic with respiratory illness.
Re-testing symptomatic patients who test negative for COVID-19 Re-testing should be considered in an unwell hospital level patient where there is a high index of suspicion. Re-testing is not required in a patient who is well enough to be at home and has much the same symptoms, unless they deteriorate or develop new symptoms, especially shortness of breath. In this case, re-testing could be considered alongside clinical reassessment. Current advice to patients who have a negative result for COVID-19 is as follows: • They still need to complete the full 14-day isolation period if they have returned from overseas or have had close contact with someone with the virus. • If they are still sick with the same illness at the end of the 14-day isolation period, they will need to stay in isolation until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours. • If they are well, and have been for 24 hours, they can return to normal daily activity. • If their current symptoms get worse and they feel more unwell, they should call Healthline for advice. Current testing advice is as follows: • Testing should be done for any person meeting the suspected case definition or if clinical judgement indicates that testing is warranted. • Clinicians should be aware that immunocompromised patients may not present with typical symptoms so should be considered as a suspected case if they meet the epidemiological criteria. • Clinicians should also maintain a high level of suspicion and consider testing in case of doubt. • Testing in hospitals should always be done in consultation with the infectious disease physician or clinical microbiologist.
Health professionals who are symptomatic with non COVID-19 respiratory illness Should you go to work if you have respiratory or influenza-like symptoms? No. You should not work in a public setting if you are unwell. In this situation, you should stand down from work, self-isolate, and be assessed as a patient by a medical professional. Should you be tested for COVID-19? General practitioners and healthcare workers with respiratory or influenza-like symptoms who have been in close contact with patients in the last 14 days (i.e. less than 2 meters distance for more than 15 minutes or cumulative exposure of 15 minutes at less than 2 meters from a patient) should be tested for COVID-19 and other potential causes of their illness.
Returning to healthcare work after illness When can you return to work? • If you have tested negative for COVID-19, please remain away from work until you have been symptom free for more than 24 hours. • If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please remain away from work until you have been symptom free for more than 24 hours and been away for at least seven days. All workplaces should be practicing physical distancing as a standard, wherever possible, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious illnesses at this time. For more information please refer to the links below: • Ministry of Health – questions and answers for primary health care workers: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novelcoronavirus/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-information-specific-audiences/covid-19-novelcoronavirus-resources-health-professionals/covid-19-questions-and-answers-primaryhealth-care-workers • Ministry of Health – current guidance for health professionals: https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/updated-advice-for-healthprofessionals-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-23march2020.pdf
Yours sincerely
Martin Steinmann Response Coordinator for Toi Te Ora Public Health