There has been a good uptake of street whānau being tested for Covid-19 using RATs. Photo / Supplied
There has been a good uptake of street whānau being tested for Covid-19 using RATs. Photo / Supplied
Concerns for the health of rough sleepers during the Omicron outbreak are mounting despite about 80 per cent being double-vaccinated.
Meanwhile, 50 rooms have been set aside by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board for people with nowhere else to self-isolate.
The health board has also been praised bya homeless advocate for meeting the "unique needs".
Heartspace homeless whānau advocate Heidi Tidmarsh was concerned about how the virus would affect the already vulnerable community.
She said the city's rough sleepers initially resisted getting vaccinated but education and information have brought vaccination rates up to about 80 per cent.
The others were increasingly motivated to protect themselves and others, she said.
Tidmarsh was supplied with rapid antigen tests (RATs) by the health board's Covid response team so she could test the rough sleepers and report back positive cases quickly.
She did this by travelling around community meals and known sleeping spots, testing even those without symptoms and had considerable uptake, she said.
She's been helping those on the streets of the CBD for two years with basic needs and navigating systems and agencies.
"Sometimes it's filling in a form for somebody that's dyslexic or making a doctor's appointment for someone in need of medical attention," she said.
All of the rough sleepers tested so far have returned negative tests. Photo / Supplied
"Now it's RAT testing and making sure our vulnerable people living in less than ideal situations have access to food and basic healthcare.
"They deserve support during these unprecedented times as much as the next person."
She said a health board initiated RAT testing pop-up was set up at the Under the Stars community dinner a week ago and tested several people.
Before RATs, she said not many rough sleepers got tested because they didn't have a car and could not get to drive-through stations or another testing facility.
Tidmarsh said the health board had been "amazingly supportive and understanding" of the "unique needs" of the street whānau during the outbreak.
She said it addressed their needs head-on by providing isolation options.
Tidmarsh explained the street whānau were transient by nature but appreciated isolation options and the importance of keeping themselves and others safe.
She said there was a "highly prevalent" recognition among the community about the need to restrict transmission.
"I have nothing but heart for our crew in the CBD, survival is a full-time job and I wish more people understood their community and the resilience required to navigate life on the street, especially when unwell.
"It's no place to be sick."
A pop-up RAT testing station at the Under the Stars community dinner last week. Photo / Supplied
The health board's Covid-19 community care and partnership lead, Helen De Vere, said it worked with three accommodation providers for self-isolation with about 50 rooms available.
RVs were being looked into as an isolation option and the work with providers would continue to make sure there were suitable options, she said.
While there were no capacity issues, she said it was "committed to remaining agile" and would call on other accommodation and community providers if more space was needed.
Cases were evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
It worked with community isolation facilities to help people isolate safely, and it would continue to "work creatively" with the area's communities, iwi, Government, NGOs and social services to respond to the pandemic.
It would keep working with organisations that have good engagement with "harder-to-reach and vulnerable communities", she said.
Toi Te Ora Public Health medical officer of health Dr Lynne Lane said it was providing outbreak support most specifically where there was an increased risk of spread and "detrimental health outcomes".
Lane said staff were available to help people who couldn't get the support they needed to manage their Covid infection.
