Invercargill has joined Queenstown and Dunedin to offer 7-day drive-through Covid-19 testing and vaccinations.

Located in the car park behind Invercargill's Newfield Tavern, it is hoped the no-appointment-required centre will increase ease of access and add extra capacity, especially at weekends.

“We want to do everything we can to reduce barriers, ensuring our communities can access testing, get the Covid vaccine, and help keep our whānau safe,” says Amy de Vries, general manager, Awarua Whanau Services.

Wendy Findlay, WellSouth director of nursing, said as people start to travel around the country and within the region, it’s a certainty that the Covid-19 virus will return to Southern.

“It’s good news that we have high vaccination rates, but it remains really important for people to get tested. We want to help support early detection to help stop the virus from spreading. And that starts with making sure people have free and easy access to testing,” Findlay said.

The Covid testing and vaccination centre will be open 11am to 5pm, seven days a week. Testing is free for anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms or meeting other Ministry of Health criteria, including port/border workers needing surveillance testing.

Testing and vaccinations continue to be available at general practices and with other providers in Invercargill and throughout Southland.

In recent weeks, WellSouth has also extended hours for the 0800 VIRUS19 call centre to 4pm at the weekends, and added staff in the evenings to make outbound calls supporting Māori and Pasifika to access Covid-19 vaccinations.