April 14, 2023
Covid protections still needed
A Māori general practitioner and medical researcher has welcomed the Government holding firm on Covid protections as the country heads into winter.
The seven day isolation period when people contract Covid and the use of masks in medical settings will continue for at least another two months.
University of Waikato adjunct senior fellow Rawiri Keenan says isolation helps slow the spread of the virus, which will keep pressure off hospitals.
It’s also time for people to accept the vaccines work to keep whanau safe.
“You know the vaccine hesitancy thing has come up because of the Covid of the last few years – it’s certainly grown, and that’s the path – and in the end I just plead with any whanau to go and ask somebody that you trust. Whether its the pharmacist that you trust, or the nurse, those who are lucky enough to have a GP that they trust. Go and ask those questions,” Dr Keenan says.
He says wearing masks in crowded places this winter might also stop you from catching a range of contagious illnesses.