Migrant News Vol 15 No 3, 2022

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P a g e 1 2 w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews When do I need to get tested? When do I need to get tested? • You only need to get tested if you have symptoms or you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. • If you’re a close contact outside the household (e.g. from work), you should monitor yourself for symptoms. You don’t need to get tested or isolate unless you develop symptoms. Where do I get a rapid antigen test (RAT)? And how do I do a RAT? People who have symptoms of COVID-19 or live with someone who has tested positive for the virus can get RAT tests from either a nearby community testing centre, or order them online at https://requestrats. covid19.health.nz/ and then pick them up from a nearby collection site. If you’re not comfortable doing a RAT at home by yourself, you can get a supervised RAT from your general practice or urgent care clinic. You can contact your general practice to arrange this. There are currently 11 different brands of RAT tests available in New Zealand, so you will need to follow the instructions on the packet you receive. How do I RAT test my young child? 1. Take it easy and slow. Don’t rush. Explain the process to the child. 2. Begin by blowing their nose – young children find it hard to blow their own nose. 3. Rest their head on a chair with a headrest or pillow on a couch. For younger children, sit them on your lap with their head resting in your elbow fold. 4. Aim down and back rather than up high to reduce pain and increase test accuracy. 5. Afterwards, congratulate your child on a job well done. Older children will be able to graduate to doing it themselves. Note: RATs are not recommended for children under 2 years old. How do I record my RAT test result? You will need to record your result at mycovid record.nz or call 0800 222 478. Currently, only people above the age of 12 can report through My Covid Record, while parents and caregivers are asked to report young children's positive results by calling 0800 222 478. If you get your RAT test done by your GP or at an urgent care clinic, they will record your result for you. It’s important to record your result so that the health team can assess whether you might need additional support. What if I don’t want to do a RAT at home? If you don’t feel comfortable doing a RAT by yourself at home, you can also contact your GP or nearest urgent care clinic to arrange a supervised RAT test instead. It’s best to call ahead rather than walk in. They will record the result Dr Gary Wu, who is a vaccinating Auckland GP at The Doctors New Lynn has contributed to responding to the following questions, alongside the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) which is running Auckland’s vaccination programme. for you. What do I do if I or someone in my household tests positive for COVID- 19? • If someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19, the entire household will need to isolate at home. • Most people who get COVID-19 will be able to safely isolate and recover at home with help from friends and whanau. • If you start to feel worse, please stay at home and call your GP or Healthline on 0800 358 5453. All GP and urgent care clinic appointments for COVID-19 are free. • If you or a family member becomes very unwell, like having difficulty breathing or chest pains, call 111 immediately. The ambulance will be free. If you live by yourself, arrange for a family member or friend to call to check in on you each day. How can I best prepare my family/household for one or more of us to get COVID-19? • If it’s been at least three months since you had your second dose, consider getting your booster as soon as possible. Being vaccinated, including having your booster dose, is the most important thing you can do to help increase your protection from Omicron. • If you have children aged 5 to 11-years-old, you can help keep them safe and protect your family by getting them immunised now against COVID-19. Just turn up at a drive-through vaccination centre or walk-in to get your vaccinations. • Make a plan to prepare for home isolation in case you or someone in your household has to isolate, this includes: • Think about who might be able to help with any caring if you’re not available – for example caring for elderly relatives. • Try to have extra food in the house. • Medical supplies – e.g. masks, paracetamol, ibuprofen, throat lozenges, nasal spray, cough medicine, ice pack, a thermometer, prescription medicine. • Cleaning supplies – e.g. disinfectant, bleach, rubbish bags. • Hygiene supplies – e.g. hand sanitiser, gloves, toilet paper, tampons or pads, nappies, tissues. • Things you enjoy doing – e.g. books, crosswords, games, devices, movies. • Reach out to others in the community to offer your support, particularly people who are elderly or living alone. You might be able to help out by dropping off groceries outside their door or calling them each to check in. For more on how to prepare, visit Unite against Covid19 - prepare and stay safe. Why is getting a booster so important with Omicron? If you are vaccinated and boosted you are likely to only have a mild illness and recover in a few days, and some people will have no symptoms at all. While two doses provide some degree of protection against severe disease from Omicron, a booster is likely to offer greater protection against transmitting COVID-19 to others and reduce the chance of more serious infections. It also means reducing hospitalisations and putting less pressure on our health system. The Asia-Pacific Food Channel : 027 495 8477 • Taste Test: Best supermarket Hot Cross Buns • PH potato snack giant set to corner market • Luntian - Filipino food with a Vegan Twist • Nostalgia for Homecooked food drives expansion • Boodle Fight: All hands on deck kababayan! • Modern twist to traditional Filipino cuisine • Why not feature your restaurant at halohalo.nz?
w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz P a g e 1 3 ‘Joyful reunions with loved ones overseas’ There’s excitement brewing in the richly diverse community that a North Shore pharmacy looks after, with overseas travel plans really starting to take off. Unichem Browns Bay has, since it first joined the city-wide vaccine rollout in August last year, had the unique interests of its many ethnic groups top of mind. Supported by the Albany Vaccination Centre run by Waitemata District Health Board and Asian Health Services, the pharmacy held a series of special vaccination events for its Korean, Filipino, Myanmar and Chinese communities back in September. Hundreds took up the opportunities to get vaccinated with their first and later their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. To date, the pharmacy has successfully delivered more than 36,000 doses, the third highest vaccination rate of all pharmacies in Auckland. Pharmacist, and lead cheerleader for her community, Christina Shin, says the current Omicron outbreak has been tougher than expected but thankfully her wonderful team hadn’t been hit too badly. “We’ve been very lucky and only had one staff member who came down with COVID-19.” At the peak, she says they were very busy supporting isolating families with up to 10 deliveries of medicines per day. Now, she says, it’s around five or six a day. With case numbers dropping off, Ms Chin says many of her patients are embracing the now very real prospect of finally reuniting with their families overseas. Her team has been really busy carrying out predeparture testing for people. “People have waited a long time for this. Lots of people … for example our regular customers, who are quite elderly, haven’t had a chance to see their grandchildren for two or three years who are in Australia and Fiji and elsewhere. “It’s great to hear that they can do it now.” Ms Chin too cannot wait for her own trip back home to Korea later this week. “I’m going for four weeks. I haven’t been back in about three years. “My grandparents are there and my mum is there at the moment. “I’m taking my little boy with me… really looking forward to it!” But caring for her community is still a priority for Ms Shin, who’s now also focussing on increasing flu vaccination rates. There’s been good uptake so far with demand for the vaccine streaming in, she says. “We’re doing about 50 a day at the moment.” She says her elderly patients have been telling her they are worried about coming down with the flu and the potential for other outbreaks with the borders having reopened. Ms Shin is also concerned about the flu impacting her team this winter in particular. She’s glad everyone is making getting that vaccine a priority. Flu vaccines are free for the following people; those aged 65 and over, Maori and Pacific aged 55 and over, pregnant people, those with underlying health issues, including asthma, diabetes and heart conditions, and children aged under 4 with pre-existing illnesses. Lately, Mr Wee says, their focus has been on delivering booster doses and flu vaccinations. “We have been really busy. And also busy catching up with a backlog of people needing help, a lot of patients who have put off their health checks because of COVID-19. ‘Taking over a new practice mid-lockdown both a crisis and opportunity’ Mid-lockdown late last year, a young multi-lingual doctor working in rural south Auckland snapped up the chance to take over an east Auckland practice from two retiring GPs. Luke Wee, with his wife and one-year-old baby in tow, started running Meadowbank Medical Centre in November. “It did seem a bit crazy at the time. A lot of people were trying to get out of working in the middle of the pandemic. A lot of people were burnt out and facing a lot of different stresses for their personal health. “I saw it as both a crisis and an opportunity.” Almost immediately, the practice opened up to walk-ins for testing, extending the invitation to non-enrolled patients, and in mid-January this year, started vaccinating. More recently, the centre has also joined a small number of sites across the city in offering the Novavax vaccine. “We have found it rewarding to offer an alternative. I think there’s a sense of relief that there’s an alternative for those who are not keen on the Pfizer vaccine and there’s also a degree of openness to the vaccine that we haven’t seen previously. “People who had been waiting, people who had been previously sceptical, are now more open to the vaccine.” Mr Wee speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, French and Te reo Maori with varying fluency. Some of his staff are also bilingual. Serving his multicultural community is especially important to him. “I’m Asian by origin but it doesn’t limit me to my own community. I think as modern day clinicians, we really have to think hard about what’s our role in society. And I think one of our roles is a connector of people. “And we are quite privileged to cut across all sectors of society. The ability to communicate and speak the language of the people we are trying to serve makes our work more rewarding.” Mr Wee says a recent example of this springs to mind. “An Algerian family came in who only spoke Arabic and French, and were all unwell with COVID-19. “They couldn’t find any health services that were able to communicate well with them. “I was privileged to be able to speak to them and help.” Lately, Mr Wee says, their focus has been on delivering booster doses and flu vaccinations. “We have been really busy. And also busy catching up with a backlog of people needing help, a lot of patients who have put off their health checks because of COVID-19. “We are also actively recruiting for new clinicians, trying to train new doctors, getting medical students in next month, as well as looking at overseas recruitment.” FLU VACCINE You can get your free flu vaccination from your GP or healthcare provider, with many pharmacies also offering it to people aged 13 and over. Flu vaccines are free for the following people; those aged 65 and over, Maori and Pacific aged 55 and over, pregnant people, those with underlying health issues, including asthma, diabetes and heart conditions, and children aged under 4 with preexisting illnesses.
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Migrant News Vol 15 No 3, 2022

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