COVID-19 health intelligence services

ESR is currently providing national and international health intelligence to the Ministry and the wider health sector about the global pandemic of COVID-19.

The more we know about COVID-19, the better equipped New Zealand is to fight the pandemic, so we have a broad range of experts from scientists to researchers, virologists and data pros working on COVID-19.

Here’s a look at how we’re involved in the COVID-19 response.

Diagnostic lab testing to confirm COVID-19 – exclusively for samples sent by medical professionals from New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Sequencing the genome of positive COVID-19 samples(external link).
Surveillance planning and wastewater testing(external link).
Risk assessment and epidemiological analyses to inform national and local decision making
Monitor the performance of testing regimes and processes
Explore the need to change testing strategies when necessary
Assist diagnostic laboratories to set up their own testing service
Data and intelligence – we set up and manage the national results repository(external link)
Automation of health intelligence data streams
Modelling and research
COVID-19 Wastewater Result Dashboard(external link)

ESR maintains the end-to-end system for testing, validating, analysing and reporting on COVID-19, and we are stewards of national public health data on current cases. We have been conducting research across several disciplines – from genome sequencing, saliva testing, wastewater testing, and environmental swabbing, to COVID-19 testing.

The latest COVID-19 heath advice can be found on the Ministry of Health webpage.(external link)