Urgent Information - Testing of Port and Maritime Workers Email sent from Debbie Baillie to Practice Managers 8:35 am Mon 17/08/202 Good morning to you all We wanted to get updated information to you as soon as possible before the enquiries start to come in to practices. Please call if you need further clarification. It been reported this morning that practices are having difficulty with supply of swabs - Please let me know ASAP by return email if this is the case for your practice and how low your supplies are.
What you need to know about what is happening at the Port: Public Health are setting up a process to test people who work in the port that will be based at the port. Unless a person has symptoms of COVID-19, preference is that they be patient and wait to be called in to have their swab there We shall be identifying priority groups among the port staff and starting by testing them. Priority will be gauged by whether people go onto ships and/or interact with crew. Following that we shall identify other groups who may be slightly higher risk. We will work our way through all the staff and it is likely that those that only come into the port occasionally and for short times e.g. truck drivers etc. will be done last. What to do if you are approached by asymptomatic port workers for testing: If practices are approached by port workers AND they have capacity, you can test them. Practices MUST use the correct code on the Pathlab form to identify them as either Port of Tauranga Workers or Maritime Crew There is a new surveillance box on the Halcyon form that MUST have PORTTGA selected o See further instructions later on the email – see * and ** • • • •
Reassure them that they will not be penalised if they do not get their swab completed by Monday at midnight They can continue to work both before and after their swab as long as they are well There will be no cost to getting this swab as it is mandated by the Ministry – charge as a Simple with swab @ $138incl GST As this is asymptomatic surveillance swabbing EOC have taken the pragmatic decision that the suggestion that all workers would need their chest auscultated and temperature taken this is not clinically indicated and does not need to be done
What to do if you are approached by symptomatic port workers for testing: • •
If a port worker presenting for swabbing is symptomatic they should be assessed in the same way as other symptomatic people. They only need to be considered to be high index of suspicion if their role involves them boarding shipping vessels or they have interacted directly with ship's crew. All others do not need to be counted as urgent and you do not need to notify the Medical Officer of Health.
*Correct codes on the Pathlab form are essential: Practices MUST add the following code as Copyto in the electronic Pathlab form or at an absolute minimum request as a Copyto in the clinical details. Required Codes are: (see paper forms attached as an example) PRTTGA and SUTSTF for Port land-based workers And PRTTGA and SUTCRW for Maritime Crew (on boat crew)
**Halcyon COVID-19 Form – New Surveillance Box for ALL Port and Maritime workers ONLY: See screenshot below and Select PORTTGA from the drop down Select for all Port of Maritime tests both symptomatic and asymptomatic
Regards Debbie Debbie Baillie General Practice Liaison Team Lead
PO Box 13225
Tauranga P: (07) 571-7167 M: (021) 262- 5702 F: (07) 577-3191 E: debbieb@wboppho.org.nz This communication, including any attachments, is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not read it - please contact me immediately, destroy it, and do not copy or use any part of this communication or disclose anything about it. Thank you.