Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Algies Bay rest home worker, Auckland Uni staff member test positive

A rest home staff member at Amberlea Home and Hospital at Algies Bay, near Warkworth, has tested positive for Covid-19.

And the University of Auckland tonight tweeted that a Department of Mathematics staff member has tested positive for Covid-19.

The rest home staff member is a household contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case and has been in isolation this week, CHT Healthcare Trust CEO Carriann Hall said in a letter to family and whānau of residents.

Rest home staff were told that residents who were close contacts of the staff member are currently being identified by Public Health and will go into precautionary isolation.

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The rest home worker "will remain in self-isolation at their home and will undergo routine testing, only returning to work once Public Health has cleared them to do so", she wrote.

Other staff who worked closely with the positive staff member have also gone into self-isolation and will only return to work once cleared by health officials.

The health of residents will be closely monitored: " ... we will be conducting surveillance testing for all staff and residents via a mobile testing unit," the letter said.

"We already had PPE and cleaning protocols in place appropriate to Alert Level 4 control processes such as extra surface cleaning, wearing of surgical masks for staff, social distancing, full PPE when caring for isolated residents and cohorting of staff and residents wherever possible," the letter said.

"We are working to ensure we have adequate staffing levels to continue to take care of all our residents.

"I understand that this is a distressing time to be separated from your loved one ..." Hall wrote.

"Any residents who go into precautionary isolation will continue to receive the very best care and we will closely monitor their health to keep a watchful eye for symptoms," Hall wrote.

The rest home was working with Public Health and following their processes for managing the situation, the letter said.

"I understand that this is a distressing situation and I ask that you are being supportive, kind and empathetic to each other."

As an extra precaution, staff are wearing full PPE at all times.

Today New Zealand recorded 68 new cases, one of which is located in Warkworth, north of Auckland.

The University of Auckland said "We have 2 new locations of interest: Dept of Mathematics, Bldg 303 (East), L1 & L2 Podium, Tue 17 Aug 9.20am-4pm; Bldg 303, Basement, Rooms B13 & B15, Tue 17 Aug 4-5pm."