"We may be moving into a phase of what the DHBs are calling endemic Covid - even if we manage a form of elimination this time, as soon as the borders reopen, we will have Covid come back. A senior specialist at an Auckland hospital told the Herald how the health system would be affected by endemic Covid cases was a major concern for frontline workers. "We will have to keep hospital resources available to treat a steady number of endemic Covid cases. "We need extra manpower and extra time to cope with the fitting and removing of PPE for Covid cases. The system was already under stress, he said, so dealing with endemic Covid cases would have a knock-on effect and lead to delays in treatment for non-Covid patients.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 18, 2021 05:47 UTC