St John asks public to tell them if they have Covid symptoms

20 Sep, 2021

St John is reminding the public of the importance of letting ambulance staff know if they or anyone in their household have been exposed to, have symptoms of, or have tested positive for Covid-19.

Some people may fear that they will not get an ambulance response in these circumstances, but St John wants to reassure the public that ambulance crews continue to respond to all emergencies, at all alert levels, says Dan Ohs, St John Deputy Chief Executive - Ambulance Operations.

“In order to respond safely, we are asking patients and their support persons to be up-front about whether they’ve been exposed to the virus. St John ambulance officers are trained and experienced in infection control practice, and deal with infectious diseases all year round.”

Frontline St John staff routinely wear Ministry of Health (MOH) recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves when attending all patients, and change these between patients. They also screen at any scene to determine the appropriate level of PPE to be worn.

St John has made the decision that all frontline ambulance officers in the wider Auckland region will now be required to wear full airborne PPE, including gowns, eye protection, gloves, and N95 masks, to all routine call outs to keep them safe.

“For the rest of New Zealand, ambulance crews will continue to wear regular PPE but will wear full airborne PPE in instances where a patient or someone in their household has symptoms or may have been exposed to Covid-19,” says Dan Ohs.

“St John knows these are challenging times and is confident it can continue to provide a safe and timely service to the public as long as crews are informed appropriately. We appreciate the cooperation and support from the public to keep our frontline crews safe and operational.”