More than 50,000 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Auckland since the first community case in the latest outbreak was announced on Tuesday.
The queue at the St Lukes Covid-19 testing centre today. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
In the last three days there have been 14,000 nasal swabs taken at community testing centres, around 30,000 at general practice and urgent care clinics and 8000 by DHBs.
The biggest day ever for testing in the city occurred on Thursday with more than 24,000 swabs taken - a 50 percent increase on the previous busiest day in August last year when 16,000 people were swabbed.
Northern Region Health Coordination Centre lead (and Counties Manukau Health chief executive) Fepulea'i Margie Apa thanked everyone involved in the response.
"Testing plays a vital role in managing Covid-19 in our communities," Apa said.
"This huge number of tests in such a short space of time highlights the hard work that our testing staff in the Northern Region, community and primary health care staff, including Māori and Pacific providers and urgent care clinics, healthcare workers, laboratory workers and DHB staff have put in to help quickly identify any new cases. I am incredibly proud of everyone involved."
A health worker at the Devonport Covid-19 testing station. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Apa also thanked the public for their patience, adding that the record demand has put enormous pressure on testing centres.
Staff were working hard to set up extra testing centres but in the meantime some had endured lengthy waits.
Apa said the NRHCC had doubled the number of community testing centres in the region over the last three days including a number of pop up centres. Extra testing staff have been deployed to the centres and traffic management was in place, supported by police.
Apa also recognised the efforts of laboratory teams across the city to process samples.
The volume of swabs needing to be processed has also led to some delays in turnaround times for test results. Extra staff have been rostered on to help manage the large number of tests and labs in other parts of the country are helping the Auckland laboratories.
Apa said: "As we head into the weekend I encourage people to stay calm and follow our public health advice to only get a test if you were in a location of interest at the stated times or you have symptoms. Testing will be available across Auckland this weekend."
For information on testing locations in Auckland; for details of all testing locations.
