Recommended COVID-19 testing advice for household contacts of a positive COVID-19 person is changing, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has confirmed today.

Household contacts of a positive COVID-19 person who do not have COVID-19 symptoms themselves, are no longer recommended to test daily for 5 days with a rapid antigen test (RAT).

Only household contacts who develop one or more COVID-19 symptoms are recommended to stay at home and RAT test for COVID-19.

“This change in advice for household contacts aligns with broader public health guidance that advises RAT testing is generally not recommended unless a person has COVID-19 symptoms,” says Becky Jenkins, Director Protection, National Public Health Service.

“This is because a person who is symptomatic will get a more reliable RAT result.”

Public health guidance advises if a person tests negative with a RAT but their COVID-19 symptoms persist, they should continue to stay at home and test again in 24 and 48 hours.

If at any point someone tests positive, it is then recommended they isolate for at least 5 days, starting at Day 0 – even if they only have mild symptoms and they have had COVID-19 before.

On 31 January 2024, Health NZ confirmed free RATs for COVID-19 testing would continue to be available to the public and health and disability sector up until the end of June 2024.

Mrs Jenkins says, “With COVID-19 still circulating in the community and continuing to impact hospital admission rates, testing for COVID-19 with RATs remains an important tool to help manage the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the impact on our health system and our communities.

“We strongly encourage people to make the most of the continued free access to RATs, and to keep testing if they feel unwell or think they may have COVID-19.”

Participating RAT collection sites can be found at www.healthpoint.co.nz (external link) or by calling free on 0800 222 478 and choosing option 1.

No decisions have been made regarding the supply of RATs beyond June 2024.

All other public health recommendations for the management of COVID-19 remain unchanged.

 

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Editor’s notes

Public health recommendations remain in place to guide people on how to best protect themselves and others from COVID-19:

  • Stay at home if you are feeling unwell.
  • Test with a RAT if you develop one or more of the following COVID-19 symptoms: a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, loss of smell or taste, shortness of breath. 

·       If you test positive for COVID-19, it is recommended that you isolate for at least 5 days, even if you only have mild symptoms, starting at Day 0.

o   This includes if you have had COVID-19 before.

o   Day 0 is the day symptoms started or when you first tested positive, whichever came first.

o   You should not go to work or school, and you should discuss any return to work or school with your employer or child’s school principal, as they may require additional precautions.

o   For 10 days you should stay away from healthcare facilities, aged residential care facilities, or anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19. If you must visit, phone ahead and remember to wear a mask.

·       Continue to report your RAT result at My Health Record (external link) (or call the RAT helpline on 0800 222 478). Reporting a positive result enables you to be connected with any help and support you may need.

  • Wearing a face mask remains to be an important way we can prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in health and disability care settings. It is recommended you wear one when visiting healthcare services and when you are around people who are at higher risk of getting very sick. This includes older people and kaumātua, babies, people living in aged residential care facilities, unwell or sick patients in hospital, people with other health conditions and disabled people. Mask wearing is also encouraged when you are in closed, crowded and confined spaces.
  • People with a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are eligible for treatment with COVID-19 antiviral medicines. People can access these medicines if they:
    • have COVID-19 and symptoms, and
    • became sick within the last 5 days, and
    • are eligible for the medicine.

·       If you are concerned you are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and think you may be eligible for antiviral medicines, contact your GP, pharmacist, healthcare provider or hauora provider to discuss. You do not need to wait until you have COVID-19 symptoms.


Further information is available at https://info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/infectious-diseases/covid-19/ (external link)

 

 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora media contact: hnzmedia@tewhatuora.govt.nz