Kia ora

We would be grateful if you can pass on the following COVID-19 Care in the Community updates to your networks where relevant.

COVID-19 Care in the Community

• Winter wellness is the focus of a communications campaign to raise public awareness about how to stay well for winter and alleviate pressure on the health system.
• The Ministry of Health sent out the Testing Operational Guidance for General Practice on 30 March, which stated that funding for general practices to undertake a combined COVID-19 clinical assessment and test (either a RAT or PCR) would be reviewed at the end of May 2022. This review is still underway so funding will remain in place until at least the end of June 2022. Nothing has changed regarding processes for entering information into Healthlink, so please keep doing this and we will update you further once the review is completed.

 COVID-19 Therapeutics

• The Ministry updated its access to COVID-19 treatment in the community this week, enabling pharmacist prescribers to prescribe antivirals. We’ve also updated our website pages on COVID-19 therapeutics to reflect this change.

 COVID-19 Response

• Consumers can now request a face mask exemption pass via My Covid Record.
• The first cases of Omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.4 have been reported in the community, and wastewater detections of these two subvariants in Auckland, New Plymouth and Porirua.

COVID-19 Clinical Care Module update

• A new release went live on Wednesday 1^st June and changes were visible in the system on Thursday, 2^nd June.  
• CCCM users will receive a pop-up warning when creating a Case.
• CCCM users will be able to view details of a record that is in a bubble and has been discharged, including the bubble information
• An access log audits actions that CCCM users have taken on a record
• The 'Report NHI to MOH' function is only used if there is an issue with an NHI or if there is no NHI information
• CCCM users will be able to view Person Information updates and what a CCM user has actioned in the note timeline

Noho ora mai