New statistics show that nearly two thirds of Kiwis chose not to be tested for COVID-19, despite cold and flu symptoms

The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) is once again reminding the community to be tested for COVID-19. This follows new market research* by the RCPA, which reveals that 64% of respondents in New Zealand chose not to get tested, despite experiencing cold and flu like symptoms within the past six months.

Dr Michael Dray, President of the RCPA said,

“With the highly contagious Delta variant circulating in our communities, the number of individuals saying they are not being tested when experiencing a cold is concerning. In order to continue managing this pandemic successfully in New Zealand and enjoying the travel bubble we have with Australia, we strongly advise anyone to be tested if they have cold and flu like symptoms. Until the community is fully vaccinated, high levels of testing remains the best way to manage COVID-19, allowing public health officials to contact trace effectively. While testing levels in New Zealand increase at times of outbreaks, it is essential that the community always remains vigilant and continues to follow the public health advice.”

The new market research also showed that 87% Kiwis are proud of New Zealand’s ability to provide high levels of testing for COVID-19. Ninety five percent of Kiwis also say they believe pathology plays a vital role within the New Zealand medical profession, with 83% saying they did not think that it would be possible to manage COVID-19 in New Zealand without pathologists.

“The important role of our pathology services has been made even more apparent during the COVID-19 crisis. The only way to manage an infectious outbreak is to identify the cases, quarantine them and then contact trace which we have continued to do throughout this pandemic. We are now at a pivotal point in this pandemic and it is important we aim to reach a minimum number of COVID-19 tests each day so we can be confident the virus is not circulating in the community.

“In recent years, pathology services in New Zealand have undergone a revolutionary change in the quality of the services provided through advances in genomics and other new scientific technologies. With any new advances it is vital to ensure they are implemented in a safe, effective and quality manner. Central to this is the International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) accreditation process and the associated Quality Assurance Programs (QAP). This has elevated New Zealand pathology services to be widely regarded as the world leader in this space. Rapid implementation of innovations, high quality testing and fast turnaround times have all been very important to this process,” said Dr Dray.

The RCPA’s Quality Assurance Program (RCPAQAP) was one of the first in the world to develop a proficiency testing program (PTP) for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. This PTP allowed laboratories to quality assure their testing, therefore ensuring accurate results. Since then, several different COVID-19 related PTPs have been developed to cater for different laboratories and testing platforms. Not only did RCPAQAP provide quality assurance for COVID-19 testing in Australia and New Zealand, but also in 113 countries worldwide as part of a contract negotiated with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The RCPA’s annual conference, Pathology Update is being held virtually this weekend, from 2-4 July. It is the only conference of its kind in Australasia, bringing together pathology professionals from the seven different disciplines of pathology.

For further information on the RCPA, please visit www.rcpa.edu.au or see updates on Facebook - @PathologyRCPA, Twitter - @RCPAPresident, @PathologyRCPA, or Instagram - @the_rcpa #RCPA #pathology #MedicineIsPathology.

For Pathology Update: #PathUpdate2021

*An independently commissioned piece of research was conducted in June 2021 involving 1,002 respondents in New Zealand.

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