Wellington, July 14 (BNA): The New Zealand government on Thursday announced free masks and rapid antigen tests as it tries to stem the spread of COVID-19 and relieve pressure on the country’s health system dealing with the influx of coronavirus and influenza. The patients.
Reuters reports that there has been a significant jump in the number of new COVID cases in New Zealand over the past two weeks and authorities expect this wave of Omicron to be worse than the first.
The hospital system is already struggling with increased wait times and surgical cancellations.
“There is no doubt that the combination of the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the worst flu season in recent memory and the corresponding absence of staff is putting health workers and the entire health system under severe stress,” said Aisha Feral, COVID-19 Minister. Reply said in a statement.
New Zealand, with a population of 5.1 million, recorded 11,382 new cases of coronavirus today, Thursday, with a total of 68,737 currently infected with the virus. Of those 765 cases, he is currently in hospital.
New Zealand’s rapid response to the pandemic and its geographic isolation, a one-off poster child for tackling the coronavirus, kept the country largely COVID-free until the end of last year. However, the government retired its no-coronavirus policy earlier this year once the population was largely vaccinated and the virus was allowed to spread.
Verrall said that while COVID-0 is no longer a possibility, people have needed to wear masks, to get tested and isolate if someone tests positive for the virus or someone in their home.
The government is making free masks and tests more widely available, allowing pharmacies to sell COVID drugs and expanding criteria for who is eligible for antiviral drugs.
“Now is not the time to stop wearing masks. Evidence tells us that wearing a mask lowers your chance of contracting COVID-19. It also helps protect you from flu and other winter illnesses, so if you don’t wear a mask for yourself, please wear one for the health workers.” healthcare,” Feral said.
MI