Invetus remains operational. As far as possible, all studies continue. In a couple of cases sponsors have suspended studies, or delayed start dates, otherwise work proceeds with the additional measures described below.
As of today, we know of no staff with the virus. We have 2 who have completed self-isolation after returning from holidays, and two currently in self-isolation after contact with a confirmed case.
We are operating in NZ under the Level 4 restrictions across the whole country, and have been registered with the Ministry of Primary Industry as an “essential service.” This means we can continue our work there, with appropriate safeguards and records in place.
We are adopting a similar approach for our Australian operations, in order to keep consistency across the business, and to be well prepared if restrictions increase in Australia.
We have convened a Crisis Management Team, which meets early each day to review changes/issues, and make decisions if required..
Actions we have taken with Sponsors
· Invetus conducted a COVID-19 risk analysis for all projects to ensure that we can initiate and complete studies while keeping staff safe. We applied 4 tests to each Study:
o Is it legal to conduct the Study under current COVID-19 containment regulations?
o Can we conduct the study with appropriate safety and social distancing precautions?
o Are there ways to change the work so it can continue?
o Do we have enough redundancy to provide acceptable assurances to Sponsors that the Study can be completed?
With the agreement of Sponsors, we have paused some projects which required interaction with Veterinary clinics and/or pet owners, as either the clinics or the owners have decided not to continue. We hope that we can resume these when the situation eases.
Other projects continue, and in some cases we have revised the protocol (with Sponsor approval) to include new processes to keep staff safe.
Actions we have taken with staff:
Where possible, staff are working from home, and have the technology to do that.
For research work and animal welfare activities which cannot be conducted from home, we have adopted a “buddy” system at each site:
Staff have been organised into small teams (2-3people), and are assigned separate work tasks, to reduce close contact time.
Close contact is up to 15 min face to face, or up to 2 hours in the same room – we are seeking to minimise close contact for all staff.
Teams are usually composed of a senior veterinarian or scientist, together with a technician or veterinary nurse.
We are requiring all staff to keep a log of all work and personal close contacts, both for traceability should it be required, and to develop an awareness of close contact.
We expect staff to minimise or eliminate close contact other than with family and assigned work Teams. In NZ this is required by law.
We have sanitiser at all workplaces as well as soap and water and are using protective equipment when we can get it. We have made our own fabric face masks for use in low risk environments to stop staff touching their faces and to increase cough hygiene.
All meetings are conducted electronically.
We are privileged to be able to continue working, as we are an essential service. We accept this carries responsibility and are working to safeguard our staff and our business. We are preparing for more difficult business conditions, and are taking advantage of all State & Commonwealth initiatives, in both Australia & NZ, to support small business. It seems unlikely that we will get through this without some pain, like so many others.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr Maurice Webster, Managing Director.
