Covid 19 Coronavirus: ten new cases in managed isolation

There are 10 new cases of Covid-19, all in controlled isolation as people return to Auckland for the summer.

There are no new cases in the community, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Two previously reported cases have now been recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 51, the health ministry said.

Today marks a month since the last case of community transmission in the country in the November defense workers group.

All the new cases are people who have recently arrived in the country and were detected at the border.

Today’s cases come from all over the world: from Italy, the Netherlands through Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

All have been transferred to quarantine facilities.

Covid-19 has claimed the lives of 25 people. Almost half were residents of a Canterbury nursing home for people with dementia and died during the April outbreak.

The last to test positive are two members of a family who returned from the Czech Republic on December 9. Two other people who traveled together on December 10 from the United States also tested positive. They are all quarantined in a managed isolation facility in Christchurch.

Earlier this week, investigations were underway on how an Air New Zealand crew member caught Covid-19 after flying in from the United States.

The Health Ministry said whole genome sequencing showed that the lineage did not match any previously sequenced genome in New Zealand. The same genome lineage had been reported in the US.

The crew member is recovering at the Auckland Jet Park quarantine facility.

Three other aircrews who are close contacts are in isolation. All have given negative results so far.

The ministry said a fourth person who was a casual contact and was transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility as a precaution after developing symptoms had tested negative but remained in quarantine.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government announced that it had secured sufficient doses of vaccine for all people, starting in the second half of next year.

It will be free for the kiwis.

The first priority will be essential and border workers expected to receive the vaccine in the second quarter of 2021.

A new public health campaign was launched before the Christmas holidays to ensure a covid-free summer.

Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins encouraged everyone to use the tracking app, scan wherever people went, and turn on Bluetooth functionality.

This level of tracking would allow people to be alerted if they had been around another person who tested positive for the infection.