Southern DHB public health staff now have sufficient reassurance that the indeterminate COVID-19 test result in a Stewart Island / Rakiura child is not due to an active Covid infection.
Since the initial test, further testing has shown negative COVID-19 test results from the child’s family, both from PCR and serology testing.
Further COVID-19 tests from the broader community have also returned negative results. Adding to the overall assessment, the child tested positive for rhinovirus – a particularly infectious virus causing cold and flu type symptoms reported in the wider community.
The DHB took its extra precautionary approach based on Stewart Island’s / Rakiura isolation, distance from specialised health services and the likely serious