COVID-19 Update #75 - 10 Whiringa-ā -Rangi 2021 Rāapa, 10 Whiringa-ā-Rangi 2021COVID-19 Update Pānui no. #75.If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 COVID-19 Pānui no. 75 It is through your contribution and my contribution that the people shall prosper. Kōhanga Reo are required to maintain a register of kaimahi Covid vaccination status. Changes have been made to Edge to incorporate that register, which are effective from 6pm today, 10 November 2021. You can watch the YouTube tutorial for Kōhanga Reo guidance on how to operate and maintain the register. The link to the tutorial is in the Kaimahi Covid vaccination register announcement in Edge. This afternoon we went live with our second episode of our podcast, “Whaioranga,” - a series of pre-recorded or impromptu podcasts that wānanga about “Te Pou Tuawhā”. At 2.30pm every Wednesday and Friday we will be broadcasting new episodes right up until the end of the year. Occasionally, there will be extra livestreams to showcase events or kōrero about what Whaioranga and Haumarutanga looks like in practice. You can view Whaioranga on Facebook or YouTube. Today’s guest speaker, Whaea Bina, Kaitohu ā rohe for Te Tai Tokerau, shared her personal experience with mate urutā. She also explained how vaccinations will keep our mokopuna, whānau, and kaimahi safe in the Kōhanga Reo kaupapa. We then crossed live to Waipareira Whānau Ora mobile unit who are currently in the Taitokerau. Merekaraka Hawaikirangi, who is part of the team and from Omapere, says the arrival of the Waipareira mobile unit provides some much-needed relief for hauora kaimahi in the rohe, and creates an additional opportunity for hard-to-reach communities to get vaccinated. We also provided a glimpse at a daffodil day from our archives, showcasing a few Kōhanga Reo characters from te Purapura o Taumarere. Kaua e wareware whānau mā, if you miss any of the live broadcasts you can still access the podcast recordings on our social media platforms. Whakamārama Ko Whaioranga he kōrero timotimo hei whakakipakipa i ā tātou ki ngā mahi whaioranga i roto i ā tātou mahi, ki tō tātou noho tahi. Whakatauiratia ngā whanonga e ora pū ai te hinengaro, te wairua, te tinana o te tamaiti engari me whakatūturu te tohu manaaki rangatira. The health and wellbeing of the mokopuna and the whānau are paramount. Te Kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo is based on four
pillars: Nō reira, if you have any ideas, events or kaupapa in your rohe to share, feel free to contact us. The Tari Matua can also organise private rohe sessions for whānau and kaimahi to wānanga and discuss some of the questions that they may have. Please email Comms@kohanga.ac.nz if there are any specific kaupapa you may be interested in hearing more about. Kia whaioranga, kia haumaru. Current Situation A reminder that Upper Northland shifts to Alert Level 2 at 11:59 pm tomorrow, 11 November. Today, there are 147 new cases in the community: 131 in Tāmaki Makaurau, 14 in Waikato, and 2 in Northland. This brings our total community cases in the current outbreak to 4,813. Sixty-three of today’s new community cases have yet to be linked, and 34 of yesterday's cases were potentially infectious in the community. There are now 81 people in hospital, with 11 in ICU/HDU. Almost half (40 people) of hospitalised cases were unvaccinated, 25 people were partially vaccinated, 10 were fully vaccinated and six were unknown. The average age of the current hospitalisations now sits at 53. Both of today’s Northland cases are from the same household in Dargaville, with links to known cases. One of the cases is a child, which once again emphasizes the importance of getting vaccinated to protect our tamariki who cannot yet receive the vaccine. Ten of today’s Waikato cases are from Ōtorohanga, including six people in one household who are known contacts of cases, three from Hamilton and one from Ngāruawāhia. Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, announced that students in Years 9 and 10 could return to school from 17 November. Based on public advice, Minister Hipkins also stated that Years 1-8 would return part-time from the same date. Schools and kura can decide what works best for their communities when structuring the return to school. Students aged Years 4 and above will be required to wear masks in school, and there will also be ventilation requirements. The Ministry of Health (MoH) have sadly reported another death of a man with COVID-19. The man was in his 60s and had been isolating at a home in Glen Eden. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of his death, which is a process undertaken for all COVID-19 related deaths whether they occur at home or in hospital. Our thoughts are with the man’s whānau and friends. The MoH have also recently reported that COVID-19 has been detected in Te Whanganui-a-Tara wastewater results. Wellington City Mayor, Andy Foster, revealed that the positive test results appear to have come from Moa Point. While this may be alarming, officials stated that this is not an unusual detection as it has likely come from cases in MIQ. Nevertheless, it is important to get tested as soon as possible if you have any symptoms, no matter where you are from or how mild your symptoms may be. The Statistics / Ngā Tatauranga Yesterday, there were 22,178 vaccinations administered across the motu: 5,103 first doses and 16,089 second doses. To date, 89 percent of New Zealanders have received their first dose and 79 percent are fully vaccinated. Vaccination Rates of Eligible People by DHB (with active cases)
Māori Vaccination Statistics to Reach 90% Second dose Ref: Ministry of Health For the Māori roll-out, 427,856 (75%) of our whānau have received one dose, and 331,660 (58%) are fully vaccinated. Ministry of Education Update Today’s Ministry of Education (MoE) bulletin provides information on whether early learning service providers need to undertake a health and safety assessment as part of the mandatory vaccination requirements. Here are the answers to a few of the questions: Q. Does my [Kōhanga Reo] need to undertake a health and safety assessment due to the mandatory vaccination Public Health Order? A. No, there is no need to undertake a health and safety assessment in relation to the application of the Order for Kōhanga Reo. The Order applies to all workers at your Kōhanga who may have contact with mokopuna when onsite at the same time as tamariki. Q. Should I undertake a health and safety assessment if any kaimahi have a medical exemption because they are unable to take the vaccine? A. Yes, a health and safety assessment is required for any employees who present a valid medical exemption obtained from 8 November 2021. The assessment determines whether and how the duties of a kaimahi with a medical exemption can be undertaken in a way that does not compromise their safety, or the safety of tamariki, other kaimahi, whānau, or the wider community. Q. Can the exempted kaimahi undertake work onsite while the health and safety assessment is carried out? A. Yes, but only if their work is carried out in a way that means they will not have contact with mokopuna or be onsite at the same time as tamariki throughout the duration of their mahi. If this is impossible, you will need to consider what other options are available while the health and safety assessment process is worked through. Q. How often do I need to do a health and safety risk assessment for an exempted employee? A. Your obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 remain, which are to assess and manage health and safety risk in the usual way. The MoE recommends that all risk assessments are regularly reviewed, including if circumstances change. It is also recommended to review the risk assessment if the exempted employee was to be granted a subsequent exemption. For more detailed questions and answers about this kaupapa, please refer to today’s MoE bulletin. Upper Northland: Information for Alert Level 2 Upper Northland will shift to Alert Level 2 at 11:59 pm on Thursday, 11 November. Refer to the MoE’s updated guidance on Alert Level 2 for Kōhanga Reo. Medical exemptions for vaccinations (as advised in yesterday's pānui) The Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order has recently been amended to clarify the requirements relating to medical exemptions. All exemptions for the education sector need to be approved by the Director-General of Health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield. You can review the revised Order here. Need to know:
Employees who consider that a medical exemption should apply to them must provide you with written confirmation from a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
For more information on medical exemptions, please read yesterdays MoE pānui. Reminder: Testing requirements at Alert Level 3 Anyone who is required to undergo weekly testing because they are not yet fully vaccinated at Alert Level 3, has been encouraged to use saliva testing rather than the nasal swab test. Nasal swabs are prioritised for those who are symptomatic. In Alert Level 3, all staff (regardless of their vaccination status) must have returned a negative test result before returning on site. This test must be either a nasal swab or throat swab. See the full details on testing in the MoE’s 19 October bulletin. Ongoing testing Staff must then get weekly tests until they are fully vaccinated. The testing options are:
Saliva testing Saliva testing is only an option for those who are required to undertake weekly testing until they are fully vaccinated. It is not an option for those who must have a negative test before returning onsite at Alert Level 3. Saliva testing is self-administered and allows flexibility on when tests are completed. There is no charge for the saliva testing tubes, app or sampling.
Testing code for Kōhanga Reo When being tested, please provide the health professional taking your test to note down your education SURV code, which for Kōhanga Reo is: SURV-ECE. Pānui Reminders All our pānui are uploaded to our Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust website. You can access our past pānui here. Tikanga Haumaru – Step 2 of Alert Level 3
Kōhanga Reo Can increase bubbles to 20 mokopuna, as long as they can operate within the public health measures. For more information on increasing bubble sizes, please refer to pānui no. 72. Parents must wear masks during drop-off and pick-up. Kōhanga Reo kaimahi, including any contractors/volunteers who are in regular contact with tamariki, must get tested every seven days until they are fully vaccinated. The testing options are a nasal or throat swab once a week, or a saliva test twice a week with at least two days between tests. Provide your education SURV code to the health professional who is taking your test, which for Kōhanga Reo is: SURV-ECE. For more information on testing, please refer to yesterday’s pānui. Tangihanga/Viewing a Tūpāpaku At Step 2, up to 25 people can attend a tangihanga or view a tūpāpaku. The 25 person limit does not include the kaikaranga, kaikōrero, members of the clergy, or staff who are attending. This means you can have a total of 30 people at a tangihanga – 25 guests and 5 staff. You can serve food or drink, but guests must be seated to be served. Tikanga Haumaru – Level 2 Basic Guidelines
For any further assistance, ring 0800 KOHANGA or 0800 564 2642 Toi tū te reo, toi tū te whānau whānui, toi tū Te Kōhanga Reo Nāku noa, Angus Hartley Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive |