The Omicron variant, while more contagious but less severe than previous Covid-19 strains, still poses significant challenges. It spreads faster than the common cold and can quickly lead to an increase in hospitalizations.
Rapid contact tracing was initially a key strategy in combating Covid-19, effectively preventing further transmission. This crucial task was undertaken by Public Health Units (PHUs) across New Zealand, with support from the National Investigation and Tracing Centre (NITC).
Early in the Covid19 pandemic, allied health professionals like physiotherapists, dentists, and sexual health practitioners, who could not operate in-person become a valuable remote resource. Their expertise and availability made them ideal to support professional contact tracers during outbreaks. However, centralised contact tracing was less effective with the arrival of the Omicron strains.
Now, as the Pandemic Reserves, we are a diverse and distributed group of local volunteers and professionals ready to mobilize in critical situations.
Our roles have expanded to encompass a range of community-based services. These include vaccination drives, home isolation support, medical care, contact tracing, psychological support, navigation services, and medication deliveries.
To ensure swift and effective response, we are calling for volunteers. By joining us, you will have access to training that prepares you for various pandemic-related tasks. We are forming partnerships with PHUs and other providers to build the necessary capacity and capability to stay ahead of the next pandemic.
Join the Pandemic Reserves and make a meaningful difference in your community!
What is contact tracing?
Sioxsie Wiles, writing in The Spinoff explains:
“Contact tracers are teams of people who interview anyone confirmed or suspected of having the virus to find out who they have been in contact with since their symptoms started and for the two days before.
So, anyone they live with, work with, or have spent significant amounts of time with. Like people they’ve been out to dinner with, or been partying with, or played sports with. Those people may have been infected themselves, so they’ll be put into self-isolation to ensure they don’t pass on the virus to anyone else. If they do develop symptoms, they’ll be tested and if they weren’t caught fast enough then the process starts again.
Because of how quickly the virus can spread contact tracing needs to be fast, efficient, and effective. When we’re all in our bubbles in lockdown, contact tracing is relatively easy because most of us won’t have been in contact with many people.
But the further down the levels we move, the more contact we have with other people, the harder contact tracing becomes and the more likely the virus will be to spread".
Toby Morris in The Spinoff illustrates why contact tracing is important:
