Central Hawke’s Bay residents needing to be tested for COVID-19 can have their swabs taken locally from Monday.

The swabbing centre in Central Hawke’s Bay is the sixth to open in the region.

There are two dedicated COVID-19 community-based assessment centres (CBACs) in Hawke’s Bay, one in Hastings and one in Napier. While swabbing centres have been set up in Camberley, Flaxmere, Wairoa and now Central Hawke’s Bay to support these.

Hawke’s Bay District Health Board emergency response operations lead Claire Caddie said the team establishing these clinics have worked hard to ensure all communities in Hawke’s Bay have access to a swabbing centre.

It has been a joint effort between Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and the region’s Primary Health Organisation, Health Hawke’s Bay.

“Now any Central Hawke’s Bay residents with COVID-19 symptoms can be tested locally Monday to Friday. However, people can only be tested if they have a referral from their GP.”

“These are not drop-in clinics. People will only be tested once they have a referral from a doctor. Failure to follow the system may risk patients not receiving the treatment they need.”

The CBACs and swabbing centres use a drive-through system in which patients are met by a team who assess them.

The Government has updated the criteria for testing, so that now anyone with respiratory symptoms consistent with COVID-19 regardless of travel history or contact with a confirmed case will be tested.

“We are prepared to test more people and the extra swabbing centres will enable us to do so. We appreciate the work our primary care teams are doing to operate these centres,” Ms Caddie said.

People tested for COVID-19 could expect their result within three to five days.

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