COVID-19 testing
Updated 18 August 2021
A COVID outbreak has been recognised in Auckland and the have been a number of contacts and locations of interest in the Coromandel, which is within Waikato DHB. It is important to quickly test and identify any further cases, whether symptomatic or incubating. So we encourage people to come and get tested if they have a respiratory illness like a cold or sore throat. Public Health will also recommend testing of selected asymptomatic people.
Please refer to national guidance on who should be tested. Locations where people can get tested in the community are shown here.
Lab testing is done 7 days a week. Expected turnaround time is <48 hours and is usually <24 hr for specimens collected at Waikato Hospital. Selected cases may be tested urgently between the hours 08:00 and 22:00 by phoned request, but our capacity is limited to 4 or 5 urgent cases each day. It is best to walk the specimen to the lab for urgent testing like this. Turnaround time for rapid testing is <2 hours.
ICU, HDU and Haem/Oncology: please phone 98606 to request. All other locations: please phone the Clinical Microbiologist on duty 027 2905255 to request
Dr Chris Mansell
Clinical Microbiologist
Latest laboratory specimen collection information can be found here
