The Government-funded National Telehealth Service (run by Whakarongorau Aotearoa) provided a COVID-19 clinical advice line for community health providers (including primary care, pharmacy, midwives, aged residential care providers, and home and community health care professionals).
This service has now been decommissioned.
Primary Care COVID-19 Quick Reference Guide
This is a summary of information for community healthcare providers involved in:
assessing and managing COVID-19
queries regarding COVID-19 risk and need for testing (including general practice, community pharmacy, Hauora Māori, and urgent care providers).
This guide aims to help primary care providers to develop their policies and procedures.
Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI): Guidance for return to-work of healthcare workers
The document provides guidance for the return-to work of healthcare workers with acute respiratory infection (ARI) including COVID-19. This document is directed at clinical leaders and managers in the health sector.
For guidance on the management of cases and contacts, please refer to the COVID-19 chapter in the Communicable disease control manual.
Access to health services and testing after having COVID-19
People who have had a COVID-19 infection may have persistent positive COVID-19 PCR tests in the three months after recovering. This is because it takes time for viral fragments to be cleared from the body, despite no longer being infectious.
In the three months following recovery from COVID-19, people who need to access healthcare of any kind, including residential facilities, should be able to do so without the need for a negative COVID-19 test.
Clinical Management of COVID-19 in Hospitalised Adults
The content of this document has been updated to reflect the latest in policy setting changes. The majority of the content related to clinical management has not been updated since early 2023, reflecting the disestablishment of the Technical Advisory Group.
This is the final issue of this document. Please take this into consideration when utilising this guidance in the future.
The Therapeutics Technical Advisory Group (TAG) was established by the Ministry of Health in August 2021 to provide expert advice on existing and emerging medicines for use in the management of COVID-19. This group prepares and provides a range of advice for health professionals on the use of COVID-19 therapeutics including the guidelines on the Clinical Management of COVID-19 in Hospitalised Adults. The Therapeutics Technical Advisory Group last met on May 19 2023.
Position Statement: Molnupiravir is no longer available in New Zealand Aotearoa for the treatment of COVID-19. For further information please refer to the Pharmac statement (external link).
Oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of COVID-19
Information and guidance have been developed for health practitioners to aid in the provision of the oral antiviral Paxlovid to treat COVID-19. This medicine is given to people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, have symptoms, and are at a higher risk of hospitalisation including Māori and Pacific peoples, those with complex health needs, older persons, unvaccinated populations, and people with disabilities.
Antiviral Options for COVID-19 Infection in patients with Chronic Kidney disease
This advice a position statement from the Therapeutics TAG to provide guidance relating to the use of antivirals in patients with Chronic Kidney Failure.
Clinical rehabilitation for people with long COVID
This guideline is intended to provide clinical guidance on long COVID conditions in both children and adults in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is an evidence-based summary that covers the definition and diagnosis of long COVID. It seeks to provide the best evidence currently available to assist informed decision-making to improve the health, vocational and social outcomes for individuals with long COVID.
There are also two summary fact sheets available – for clinicians, and for individuals and whanau.
Clinical guidance for responding to patients with an intellectual (learning) disability during COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand
People with an intellectual (learning) disability are at a heightened risk of having a poor outcome from infection with COVID-19 in comparison to non-disabled people. These guidelines are being provided to ensure equity for people with an intellectual disability.
talkingCOVID (external link) is designed to help health professionals have conversations about what matters most to patients and their whānau. The talkingCOVID pages are based on sound principles, evidence and experience.
Older adults, and those living with chronic or life-limiting conditions, are at increased risk of experiencing severe or critical symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection and are more likely to die. They may also experience non-COVID-19-related deterioration in their health status during this period. Advance care planning is critical for this cohort and should form a key part of our health system's COVID-19 response strategy.
Advance care planning guidance, specific to the COVID-19 context, has been developed for health practitioners. The guidance is optional, and aims to support conversations and planning with patients.
Visitors to New Zealand who require treatment for COVID-19
The only groups that automatically qualify for the same COVID-19 healthcare as New Zealand citizens and residence-class visa holders are:
Australian citizens or residence-class visa holders; and
citizens of the United Kingdom.
Travellers are encouraged to check (before they travel) their insurance covers them for the treatment of COVID-19, and the cost of changing flights, or self-isolating in suitable accommodation.
Currently, visitors who are not citizens or residence-class visa holders and who are not covered by any reciprocal healthcare agreements will only be eligible for publicly funded COVID-19 healthcare including COVID-19 antiviral medicines if they meet the requirements of the Health and Disability Services Eligibility Direction 2011. The assessment of an individual’s circumstances will be made at an operational level.
Any private care provided under the Health and Disability Services Eligibility Direction 2011 should be billed to the Ministry of Health in the same way as funded care provided to overseas visitors.
People who are not eligible for publicly funded COVID-19 health care including COVID-19 antiviral medicine may purchase Paxlovid privately from some pharmacies.
To purchase Paxlovid privately will require paying the full commercial price for the medicine and any services required to access the medicine, such as a consultation with your doctor or pharmacist.