New cases of Covid-19 continue to increase in Queenstown Lakes and across the wider Southern District, and in response health agencies are increasing their testing capacity and the number of supported isolation facilities for the public.

There are almost 200 new cases in Queenstown Lakes, bringing the district’s total to 2,283, a number surpassed only in Dunedin, where there are more than 6,700 cases.

Southern residents now have more options for accessing rapid antigen tests (RATs) than anywhere else in the country, with more than 50 sites from Stewart Island to Oamaru.

Find more information about RATs and local sites here.

See also: ‘Free RATs explained’

“Having testing as accessible as possible is important for helping detect the virus and reduce its spread,” WellSouth CEO Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said. 

“Health providers in the region will continue to do all we can to help in the Omicron response.”

Andrew said creating a network of collection sites and supporting the distribution of RATs has been in the works for months: “This has been a big piece of work that’s been going on in the background while our testing teams have also been supporting and delivering PCR testing in the community.”

It is part of a broad strategy for Covid-19 management in Southern.

See also: ‘Care and support is available: Health expert outlines Covid-19 Southern strategy’

The Southern District Health Board (SDHB) said it is planning to expand its supported isolation quarantine facilities “as case numbers rise in the coming weeks”.

There are 2,283 cases of Covid-19 in this district. IMAGE: Supplied

The supported isolation quarantine facilities are already operating in several locations throughout the district and they are available for people who, for various reasons, are unable to isolate in their own homes. 

In a statement the health board said it expected to begin using Aaron Lodge in Dunedin, one of its larger SIQ facilities, in the near future.

The Southern District reported its second death in an aged residential care facility yesterday (Friday March 12), and said there are 12 people across Southern in hospital with Covid-19: eight in Dunedin and four in Southland.

The district health board has not shared the location of the aged care facility; similarly, they do not provide detailed breakdowns so the Wānaka App cannot confirm the number of cases of Covid-19 in Wānaka.

The SDHB has reiterated the need to plan for a possible Covid-19 case in your household.

“Make sure you and your family have a plan to self-isolate or care for vulnerable family members in case this is needed. Start to have these conversations now – before you need to have them,” the district health board said in a statement.