25 Jan 2022

Flat Bush rest home residents, staff return negative results after Omicron case

3:18 pm on 25 January 2022

An Auckland aged care facility says all residents and staff have tested negative for Covid-19.

Test for coronavirus Covid-19. Female doctor or nurse doing lab analysis of a nasal swab in a hospital laboratory. Medical technologist holding a COVID-19 smear kit, wearing protective gloves from

File pic Photo: 123RF

A kitchen worker at Summerset by the Park Flat Bush tested Covid-positive late last week and is a suspected Omicron case, due to links with the infected Nelson family.

The village and care centre was then closed to visitors, staff were stood down, and all residents were asked to stay in their rooms and homes while testing and a deep clean were carried out.

Counties Manukau District Health Board tested more than 300 people at the facility, on Sunday and Monday.

In a statement this afternoon, Summerset by the Park said all results were negative.

"Despite this good news, we will continue to take a precautionary approach by keeping the cafe and communal facilities within the village closed.

"We have also taken a precautionary approach to keep the care centre closed until Monday and from that point will then operate under New Zealand's standard red guidelines. The gates to the rest of the village are now open and residents can leave the village."

The statement also said that "a small number of close contacts continue to isolate and be tested by public health" and "public health has advised the risk of an outbreak in the village is low".

Non-close contact staff will have saliva PCR tests on Thursday and Friday.

The statement said "staff and residents are in high spirits" and Summerset was "well prepared" for Omicron.

The home is listed as a location of interest from 18 to 21 January.

Meanwhile, there are 25 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, including 10 confirmed Omicron cases.

The Omicron cases are in Tauranga, Nelson Tasman, Palmerston North and Auckland.

To date, there are 29 community cases of Covid-19 associated with the January Omicron cluster, all are in isolation.

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