Top of the South readies for Omicron

With the arrival of Omicron on the horizon and staff in short supply, Nelson Marlborough Health is urging residents to prepare for Omicron care at home.

“The way we manage Covid will change quite a lot,” says Nelson Marlborough Health chief medical officer, Dr Nick Baker.

Dr Baker is estimating 80 per cent of those infected with Omicron will manage sufficiently at home, while 20 per cent will likely require further support.

“We really want to reserve the hospital for the people that really need hospital-level care,” he says.

He estimates only one per cent of cases will require hospital care through their designated Covid-19 wards.

With 110 health board staff lost last November through Nelson and Marlborough, Dr Baker admits staffing will be an issue, not just in the face of Omicron, but ahead of winter.

“Our services are running pretty close to the bone,” he says.

“Hopefully we will get Omicron past its peak before the winter ills strike.”

Hospital wards are continuing to be moved and merged in anticipation for Omicron patients.

Nelson Hospital is now equipped with three more single wards with negative pressure rooms than that of 2020.

Dr Baker says the total number of beds available in the Covid ward is not yet known.

In Blenheim, Wairau Hospital has set up extra cabins outside the emergency department for the pre-triage and triage space.

“From front door to exit we’re thinking about how we can separate people better,” he says.

Dr Baker says a lesson learned from the Nelson outbreak late last year is the community needs to be prepared for high levels of close contacts.

"When we bet Delta before Christmas, 570 plus contacts from 23 cases and we know Omicron is highly transmissible," he says.

The pathway for those with a confirmed case of Covid-19 will be to work with their GP, who will be in touch with patients after they test positive.

From there health providers will work out what level of support is needed says Dr Baker.

“We want to reserve the hospitals for the sickest people,” he says.

For those who are not able to isolate effectively at their current residence, provisions are in place for alternative housing options.

Most people with Covid-19 are likely to experience a mild to moderate illness and are expected to self-isolate and care for themselves at home with support from local healthcare providers.

“For most people, especially those that are double vaccinated and boosted, this will be a cold, a mild illness that’s more of a nuisance in terms of being infectious to others,” he says.

The Covid-19 vaccination rollout for children aged between five to 12 began on Monday.

Practicing pediatrician Dr Baker says child vaccinations are a key tool in managing the virus.

“They are some of the best at catching it, and the best at spreading it,” he says.

From the five to 12 age group, 1519 received their first dose in the region between Monday, 17 January to Wednesday, 19 January.

Booster shots were also made available for anyone who had their second dose at least four months ago to the day.

Approximately 3508 booster doses were administrated from Monday to Wednesday with 39,784 people under Nelson Marlborough Health having received their booster shot.

By Erin Bradnock - Local Democracy Reporter