Minor updates to the COVID-19 supplementary standard
New Zealand moved to the Orange setting under the COVID-19 protection framework from 11:59pm, Wednesday 13 April 2022.
While this announcement requires no change to the delivery of oral health services under the COVID 19 requirements, it is an opportunity to be aware of the upcoming flu season, and the concern that brings. It is significant that this year the flu season follows a near-zero incidence of flu over the past few years, a consequence of COVID-19 border restrictions.
Following public health advice, we are confident that the measures contained in our Risk management principles for oral health during the COVID-19 pandemic remain valid for respiratory infectious diseases in general.
Accordingly, the following minor updates have been made to the COVID-19 patient screening questions (p8):
- Alignment with the protection framework’s isolation timeframes of 7 days
- Removal of reference to waiting for test results and surveillance testing.
The updated Risk management principles for oral health during the COVID-19 pandemic supplementary standard is available here.
We have received permission to share a recent paper (not yet published) from the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme, reviewing the risks of COVID-19 transmission in the dental practice setting. We are sure you will find this reassuring!