Five times the usual number of Covid-19 swabs were taken in Southland and Otago on WednesdayCovid-19 testing numbers spiked in Southland and Otago on the first day of the lockdown with WellSouth reporting preliminary numbers of 1100 swabs taken on Wednesday. The primary health organisation has typically processed between 160 and 218 tests a day in Southland and Otago in the past. This did not include people from Southland and Otago who could have called the national Healthline number, or those who called general practices, a WellSouth spokesperson said. However, the Southern District Health Board will only reopen its mass vaccination centres on Friday. Ministry of Health data shows 179,906 vaccines had been delivered in Southland and Otago by Sunday, August 15 – which was 13 per cent behind its target of 206,744.

Source: Stuff August 18, 2021 22:18 UTC