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There is a new case of Covid-19 in controlled isolation, a week after the most recent community outbreak in Auckland was announced.
The new case arrived in New Zealand from Singapore on February 16 and tested positive after its routine test on day 3.
The Ministry of Health also confirmed that all close contacts associated with the Auckland family of three at the center of the latest community outbreak had returned negative tests.
These include those linked to the school and the New Plymouth travel group.
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The last cases detected in the community were on Friday, bringing to seven the total linked to the cluster that involves a daughter, a mother and a father.
Auckland was put at alert level 3 for three days, and the rest of the country at alert level 2 after the cases were revealed. That was lowered to alert level 2 on Thursday, with an announcement on whether the city can return to alert level 1 on Monday.
A total of 125 close contacts, associated with all cases in the February group, were identified from contact tracing.
Three previously reported close contacts have been ruled out in further investigation and a baby is not required to be screened.
Of the rest, 121 close contacts yielded negative results.
The ministry said it was still awaiting test results from three people, all linked to a medical clinic visited by Case C, the father of the family, which was considered a low-risk exposure event.
Papatoetoe High School
As of 8 a.m. Sunday, a total of 31 close contacts and 1,413 casual contacts plus had been identified at Papatoetoe High School.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH / Supplied
Twenty-five health professionals were the first in the country to be vaccinated on Friday, before administering the vaccines.
The number of casual contacts plus has dropped again because some people were not in school at the time of the exposure, the ministry said.
Of the casual plus contacts, which include the broader school population of students and staff, 1,395 have yielded negative results, with one positive (Case E, which is a classmate of the original case) and 17 results yet to come.
A negative result, reported on Saturday, was removed from the count, as that person is no longer considered a casual contact plus.
Papatoetoe High is expected to reopen Monday, but any students and staff who feel unwell should stay home and take an exam if they haven’t already.
Close contacts at school can only return if public health officials have recommended that they do so.
LSG Sky Chef
As part of the Ministry of Health source’s investigation, LSG Sky Chef staff were also tested, with all nine laundry contacts coming back negative.
Of the 444 people in the broader work setting, 388 had negative results, with 55 pending results.
Meanwhile, the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines were administered to border workers at the Auckland Jet Park Hotel quarantine facility on Friday, marking the “beginning of the end of the pandemic in New Zealand”.
Twenty-five health professionals were the first in the country to receive the vaccine. They also practiced administering beatings the next day to other border workers.
