Covid 19 Delta outbreak: DHB Covid guidance scrapped following vaccination mandate

DHBs do not seem to have strong information on which of their workers who may come into contact with Covid-19 are vaccinated. Picture / Alex Burton

A requirement for District Well being Boards to know the vaccination standing of workers who may come into contact with Covid-19 seems to have been scrapped resulting from issues with information assortment and the latest well being workforce vaccination mandate.

In June, a DHB guidance document was launched relating to vaccination which acknowledged all Covid-19 stream work must be undertaken by vaccinated workers.

Alongside that steerage, it was established by TAS – an organisation representing DHBs – that DHBs had till August 31 to make sure any workers who might be uncovered to the virus had been totally vaccinated.

“DHBs are anticipated to know by 31 August 2021 the vaccination standing of all staff recognized as being in a Covid-19 workstream, and shall be taking the required steps now to determine and file their Covid-19 workstreams, and determine the vaccination standing of staff in these workstreams,” a TAS spokesperson mentioned in July.

Nevertheless, the NZ Herald understands this requirement has been deserted – partly resulting from DHBs discovering it too troublesome to file the required information in addition to the eventual mandate which comes into pressure from November 15.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins mentioned DHBs had been working exhausting to make sure their workers had acquired their first vaccination by the required date.

“Healthcare and incapacity staff have been capable of be vaccinated towards Covid-19 since March 2021, and DHBs have achieved excessive charges of voluntary vaccination up to now,” he mentioned.

“I am anticipating up to date details about the standing of every DHB in mid-November.”

Hipkins did not touch upon the August 31 deadline.

In September, the Herald made an Official Info Act request, asking for the vaccination ranges of Covid-19 workstream workers throughout all DHBs.

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The request was lately denied as the data could not be sourced with out “substantial collation or analysis”.

Well being staff might want to have had their first shot by November 15. Picture / NZME

Employees vaccination information throughout DHBs has been frequently launched since May, nevertheless, particular ranges throughout Covid-19 workstream workers has by no means been publicised.

The Herald understands DHBs have been hamstrung having to gather workers vaccination retrospectively, in addition to the authorized issues of recording workers members’ private well being info.

It is usually understood the August 31 deadline is taken into account redundant, because of the Authorities’s latest announcement that well being workers will need to have had their first dose by November 15 and their second by January 1.

Whereas that left two and a half months when DHBs could not have identified the vaccination standing of their Covid-facing workers, there was a excessive diploma of confidence of robust vaccination protection throughout that workforce.

College of Otago epidemiologist Nick Wilson mentioned DHBs being unaware of vaccination ranges amongst workers who may work together with the virus posed vital danger.

“It appears extremely problematic that the DHBs do not know this as a result of then they can not reassure the general public,” he mentioned.

“Say there’s an general good common [vaccination level], that would signify 100 per cent of docs and poor uptake by nurses and they also’d need to have the ability to goal the nurses as a result of there’s most likely variation by explicit teams.”

Otago College public well being professor Nick Wilson. Picture / Provided

He mentioned it was essential managers had been conscious which workers had been protected towards the virus and would point out the place additional help was wanted throughout the nation.

“That is such primary info … that is simply weird that they can not say.”

Absorbed by different points attributable to the pandemic, DHBs have been notoriously gradual in recording workers vaccination information.

In Might, the Herald revealed 11 DHBs weren’t accumulating information on whether or not their workers have acquired the Covid jab.

On the time, there was no protocol in place requiring DHB workers to be vaccinated earlier than treating sufferers suspected or confirmed to have Covid-19.

In July, there have been nonetheless 9 DHBs not recording this information. Now, all DHBs are collecting this information.

Craig Carr, New Zealand chair of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, mentioned he understood managers in intensive care models throughout the nation had lately been inspired to examine the vaccination standing of their workers.

“This appears to be a norm,” he mentioned.

“Each due to our duty for well being and security for our workers at work and our duty for the well being and security for our sufferers we’re taking care of, we’re working by way of a course of of creating certain that each one our frontline workers are vaccinated.”

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