Covid 19 coronavirus: critical next days after new community cases: experts

A prominent epidemiologist says the news of three new community cases is worrying and that the next few days will be critical in guiding the government’s response.

The three new community cases announced Tuesday are all household contacts.

One of the cases is a Papatoetoe High School student considered a “casual plus” contact from the initial high school case. She has not been to school.

The other two cases are siblings, a baby, and a teenager who recently finished school and has been working at Kmart Botany.

The Health Ministry said 31 Kmart store employees had been identified as close contacts and were in isolation.

University of Otago epidemiologist professor Michael Baker said it was always a concern when there were cases in the community, and that the days that followed were critical in deciding what to do next.

“The information you really want to know is between those contacts if any of them test positive. If those in your immediate work environment don’t test positive, it’s generally good news. It doesn’t mean you’re safe, but it would be good news. signal, “he said.

Canterbury University professor Michael Plank said it was not surprising to see other cases emerge in an already infected home.

“The good news is that these students have not returned to school since the outbreak began, so if you have children at Papatoetoe High School, you don’t have to worry.”

The situation shows why the contract tracking system and the Covid Tracer app are so important.

“If you have scanned at Kmart [Botany] you are sure that you will receive the message [notifcation] if he was there at a time when this case was also in the store. “

He said it would be helpful to confirm the epidemiological link between the case that was identified early Tuesday and those that were identified earlier.

“We know they go to the same school but they were not close contacts, they are not in the same classroom. It would be helpful if we could try to identify exactly when that contact that transmitted the infection occurred.”

Auckland Hospital infectious disease physician Mark Thomas said the chance of other contacts in the store testing positive was “relatively small.”

“It has to be followed up so that, if there has been any unlikely transmission to other casual contacts plus, they are identified and managed.”

Meanwhile, Auckland University Associate Professor Dr Siouxsie Wiles is calling for Auckland to move to Alert Level 2 after the latest cases.

She told Stuff that this would put limits on meetings, to “prevent super-propagators” from infecting others.

“The question will be whether they can contain the cases through track and trace,” he said.

“The best move is to go to level 2 to stop the super spreaders.”