Coronavirus in NZ: Healthline inundated - when to call and when not to

Healthline is being swamped by the number of callers seeking medical advice, with some callers reporting wait times of 85 minutes.

24,000 people attempted to contact the phone service yesterday - seven times more than its usual volumes.

Healthline is the first point of call for people with symptoms of Covid-19 or people seeking other medical advice, while people registering for self-isolation can now do so online.

But those wanting information on Covid-19 - but not requiring clinical advice - should first access the Ministry of Health's website or contact a dedicated Government helpline via 0800 779 997 between 8am to 1am seven days a week or by visiting www.govt.nz/covid-19.

Information about attending events should be put to the event organiser, and information on travel can be found on the Safe Travel website at safetravel.govt.nz. The Ministry of Health website also has information about attending events.

People unable to work or who have lost their jobs because of Covid-19 should visit workandincome.govt.nz.

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Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said today that staff were doing their best to answer all calls.

Yesterday 24,000 people tried to contact Healthline and 7000 calls were fielded. Of those 3000 were people seeking general information and they were diverted to the Government helpline.

"I can reassure people that Healthline and the staff there are doing an excellent job of trying to answer all calls and trying to prioritise calls where people require clinical advice.

Phone capacity will increase again from 400 parallel lines to 1200 by the end of the week and involves 50 nurses and 200 non clinical staff.

Another 50 nurses have been brought in, as have additional clinical support staff from other areas to help with all of the Healthline calls.

Meanwhile a Herald reader said he waited 85 minutes today before his call was picked up by a Healthline representative. The man was then put on hold again to speak to a registered nurse who told him to call his doctors.

Monday's delays were further impacted by a Spark fault. A woman told the Herald she waited on hold for three hours before giving up. Others reached a pre-recorded message which apologised for not being able to take their call before hanging up on them.

For more information on Covid-19, visit the Ministry of Health website.