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Medical centres in Warkworth have so far failed to detect any positive cases of Covid-19 during the latest lockdown, although tests conducted over the weekend are likely still being processed.
News that Covid had been detected in Warkworth wastewater prompted around 400 people to get tested over the weekend at the Coast to Coast Health testing centre at 77 Morrison Drive.
Coast to Coast director Dr Tim Malloy says most of those turning up to get tested would have had a maximum wait time of about an hour.
He says it helped that the testing centre required people to phone first, allowing processing of their case to occur before they arrived for testing.
This contrasts with long waits in Auckland, where processing often does not start until a patient arrives.
Meanwhile, Kawau Bay Health reports lower than expected numbers coming for testing this morning. Practice manager Sara Lewis suspects most of the demand is being handled by Coast to Coast Health.
Kowhai Surgery spokesperson Dr Elspeth Dickson says demand for tests is about the same as late last week after lockdown was announced.
Dr Dickson says if a person has any symptoms of Covid-19 no matter how minor – such as a runny nose – they should call their nearest medical centre to arrange a test.
Someone should only seek a test if they have symptoms of Covid-19, or have been in a location of interest at the times of interest, or they have been identified as a close contact.
