From this Monday, 300 pharmacies across New Zealand began offering free throat swabs.
Some North Shore residents have already received a notification from their regular pharmacy:
A throat swab involves using a medical cotton swab to collect a small sample of secretions from a patient’s throat to assess their condition and check for infection in the lining of the mouth and throat.
Unichem pharmacist Marie Bennett said the test was simple and gave straightforward results.
“It can tell us whether this is a viral sore throat or just ordinary symptomatic inflammation ... and whether further investigation is needed.”
{Ad}
Having this service available at pharmacies will make things much easier for people with sore throats who cannot see a doctor straight away.
The service is also free, saving people both money and time!
Green Cross Health is responsible for rolling out the free throat swab testing at 300 Unichem and Life pharmacies nationwide.
The service is currently scheduled for a 4-week trial, but will be extended if it proves successful.
Coded eggs are coming to New Zealand shelves
Most New Zealand eggs will soon be stamped with a numerical code, allowing customers to trace the eggs in their carton back to the farm they came from.
Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks said eggs would be stamped with a 5-character code. RF denotes free-range eggs, while BN denotes caged eggs (barn, meaning barn-raised). The 3 digits following the letters are each farm’s unique code. For example, FR123 denotes the free-range farm numbered 123.
The move will help consumers assess egg quality and whether the eggs come from a trusted producer, without increasing egg prices.
Coding is voluntary, but 70% of egg producers have already adopted it or are about to do so.