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Thank you to our kaimahi

Kia ora koutou,

Two years ago, on 28 February 2020, we detected the first case of COVID-19 in Aotearoa at Auckland City Hospital. We didn’t know what to expect, or how long this pandemic would last, and these past two years have certainly been full of challenges and unknowns. 

In the ensuing months, we have cared for more than 600 COVID-19 positive patients in our hospitals and in 'hospital in the home.'

All of us have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and we’ve vaccinated hundreds of our patients. Thank you to those of you who adapted and moved to work in the community vaccination centres.

Regionally, our labs have processed 3,459,651 tests, and in the last week alone we’ve done 14,280 rapid antigen tests on-site.

Many of our staff have been working in or supporting the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC), which has kept our borders safe, supported whānau through Māori and Pacific teams, as well as achieved the highest vaccination rates in the community.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service has been at the heart of our community response. Training and stepping up contact tracing teams, working through huge amounts of public health information and supporting schools, workplaces and communities with outbreak management are just a few things they do.

Our community teams have adapted to the constantly changing environment, stepping-up to the challenge of supporting our communities who need our care from their homes. Thank you for going out there and continuing this important mahi.

Our hospital and specialist services have continued to provide care to those in our community, and further afield. We’ve worked through some busy winters and several COVID-19 outbreaks in the community, forcing us to respond to each situation with professionalism and a little creativity.

We’ve changed a lot of the way we work to keep our patients and our staff safe. I want to thank you all for the incredible way that you’ve managed and dealt with this pandemic, your flexibility and rising to the many challenges that have been thrown at us.

As we enter our third year of the pandemic this is arguably our toughest, with rapidly increasing COVID-19 positive patients within our hospitals and at home. As this happens, many of our staff need to be at home either sick or caring for their whānau. I know this puts extra pressure on everyone. 

We are prepared for this and our systems are coping as best as we could have hoped. That does not mean it is easy out there for anyone – far from it – but I’m proud and humbled by the hard work of everyone across the DHB who continue to turn up and provide quality care for our patients and support for each other during such prolonged uncertainty.

Thank you again, I am in awe of you all. Over the last two years, you have pulled together and provided the usual world-class care for our patients. 

We have worked so well over the past two years. The stresses and strains of working within this current environment can take their toll so please reach out if you need help. There is a lot of support available for you and your whānau, including new check-ins from our EAP provider Raise.

Once again, thank you.

Ngā mihi,

Ailsa Claire

Chief Executive

Te Toka Tumai | Auckland DHB

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