Covid 19 coronavirus: Hundreds tested for Covid in Hawke's Bay - everyone negative so far

Four testing stations in Hawke's Bay did 313 tests on Wednesday. Photo / File

Hundreds of people have been tested for Covid-19 in Hawke's Bay since the alert level 2 announcement, with not a single person returning a positive test so far.

The testing stations in Napier, Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke's Bay tested a total of 313 people yesterday.

HBDHB's new chief executive Keriana Brooking said the DHB had processes and experience in place, along with the capacity to respond to a Covid-19 outbreak should it happen in Hawke's Bay.

Hawke's Bay DHB medical officer Nick Jones said due to the increased demand, only people with symptoms or those who had been identified as a contact of a confirmed case in Auckland were being tested.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include cold or flu-like illness with one or more of the following: a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, a runny nose or loss of smell.

"It's important that people with symptoms get tested to protect their friends and whānau and ensure there are no undetected cases of COVID in Hawke's Bay," Jones said.

"Symptomatic people need to stay home and wear a mask if visiting a testing centre, a general practice or a pharmacy."

"Our focus will be on the community, encouraging people with symptoms to get tested and for people to follow the rules of social distancing, wearing a mask where social distancing isn't possible, hand-washing and staying home if you were sick," he said.

Jones asked people to remain patient as general practices worked hard to keep up with the current testing demand.

The teams were working hard to test everyone that needed to be tested, he said.

Under alert level 2, the DHB also revised its visitor policy, and implemented a no-visitor policy for high-risk areas of Hawke's Bay Hospital.

That means no support people will be allowed in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Special Care Baby Unit and Mental Health Inpatient Units unless an exception is granted by the clinical nurse managers or shift co-ordinator.

Hawke's Bay Hospital's Maternity Unit will allow one support person and one named visitor a day.

No children will be allowed to visit Hawke's Bay Hospital's Maternity Unit.

In other hospital areas and rural facilities, it will be one visitor at a time, but more than one person will be able to visit during the day, but each person can only visit once a day.

Visitors will be asked to wear a face mask, which will be provided as they enter the hospital.

Who to contact to get tested

People can ring one of the numbers below to immediately book a test, or ring their doctor.

Napier: 06 650 4000 open 9am-5pm Monday-Sunday.

Hastings: 06 281 2644 open 8am-8pm Monday-Sunday.

Wairoa: 06 838 8333 open 8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday.

Central Hawke's Bay residents need to be referred from their doctor or Healthline: 0800 358 5453.

It is important to note testing stations are not drop-in clinics.