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Two new cases of coronavirus were reported on Sunday, one of which was a health worker at an Auckland quarantine facility.
It is the first time that a healthcare worker at the Jet Park Hotel has tested positive for Covid-19 since it began operating as a quarantine facility nearly six months ago.
The other new case is that of a person who returned from South Africa on September 8 and who is in quarantine in Canterbury, health officials said.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
A member of staff at the Jet Park Hotel in Auckland tested positive for Covid-19.
There were no confirmed cases linked to the Auckland community group on Sunday, a day before government officials decided on the country’s alert levels.
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However, government officials said the health worker’s case was still being investigated to determine whether the infection came from the community or the quarantine facility.
“At this stage no obvious links have been established with other cases in the community,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
RICKY WILSON / THINGS
Health officials at the Jet Park Hotel Sunday afternoon.
Five household contacts of the worker were isolated at home and were due to be screened for Covid-19 on Sunday.
Genomic tests would be done to see what strain of the virus the worker had, to help identify the source, and the results would be released Monday, the spokesperson said.
“This case, found in routine weekly testing, demonstrates the value of regular testing of all staff.
“The health worker was tested last week and tested negative, so he contracted the virus between weekly tests, which are done as part of regular testing of people working at the quarantine facility.”
RICKY WILSON / THINGS
A Covid-19 testing station has been installed at the Jet Park Hotel.
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service was working with the facility to verify protocols and procedures.
“Facility personnel who were considered close contacts have been withdrawn and a thorough cleaning of personnel areas at the facility has been completed,” the ministry spokesman said.
All personnel at the quarantine facility would be re-examined within the next 48 hours.
Air Commodore Quarantine and Managed Isolation Chief Darryn Webb said work was underway to review personnel records, card data and CCTV footage to map the person’s movements at the hotel over the past few days.
A hospital grade cleaning has already been done.
CHRIS MCKEEN / THINGS
Hundreds of people gathered in Aotea Square and marched down Queen St to the Britomart compound in defiance of Level 3 restrictions to protest in Auckland. Video first published on August 29.
“Our thoughts are with this staff member and his colleagues at this time, and we are actively supporting them through research and follow-up,” Webb said.
In a live video for the Health Ministry on Sunday, Health Director General Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said the pandemic had been referred to as the “greatest global challenge since World War II.”
Monique Ford / Stuff
Health CEO Dr. Ashley Bloomfield spoke about the pandemic in a live Facebook video on Sunday.
There was “no doubt” in his mind that that was what it was.
He said the virus was 10 times more deadly than the common flu that people get sick from every year.
Bloomfield said that if New Zealand’s population was the same as the UK’s and New Zealand’s response to the virus had been the same, 3,500 deaths would have already occurred.
This would have included healthcare workers, he said.
New Zealand’s response to the pandemic has been “the best for us” despite the economic impact.
The number of people linked to the current Auckland August group remains 176.
Currently, there are 33 cases in the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship “sub-group” and 15 cases in the bereavement events group.
