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Seven people have recovered from the virus as of Tuesday, bringing the total active cases to 68.
New Zealand’s total confirmed cases to date now stands at 1,585.
On Monday, 2,311 tests were processed, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 1,072,492. Dr. Bloomfield acknowledged that there were “good test numbers” despite it being a long weekend for Labor Day.
Seven Auckland community testing centers remain open, although swabs can also be performed at urgent care clinics and general practices throughout Auckland.
Since the announcement of the new community case, a dock worker who had been aboard ships docked in Auckland and New Plymouth prior to his positive result on October 18, about 20,000 community tests have been conducted, said Dr. Bloomfield.
This broader testing has provided reassurance that there are no undetected infections in the community associated with the small number of cases originating from the port worker infection.
The NZ COVID Tracer app has reached a “significant milestone” as of Tuesday, Dr. Bloomfield said, with 100,000,000 sign scans recorded to date.
Kiwi child who tested positive in Japan
A Kiwi child who tested weak positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan on Friday is a suspected or false-positive historical case, said Dr. Bloomfield.
The boy was reported on Monday to have returned the weak positive result after health workers at the border ran a rapid antigen test, which is different from the PCR swabs used in New Zealand.
Health officials have worked with their counterparts in Japan to organize a second test for the young child, which is currently scheduled for Thursday (local time).
The family members, which include the young child, the mother and two other siblings under the age of five, are currently in controlled isolation, as is the other father, who had previously been to Japan.
The other family members tested negative upon arrival, Dr. Bloomfield said, and also tested negative last Tuesday prior to their departure.
In keeping with our precautionary approach, several close family members were tested in New Zealand and asked to isolate themselves. They all tested negative, Dr. Bloomfield said.
The boy had been attending a Napier-based child care center, which remains open, a couple of days before the family’s flight. The local public health unit has been in direct contact with the center, and families with children there have been informed of the situation and warned that there is a low risk. Anyone with respiratory symptoms is being tested as a precautionary measure.
“We think it is very low risk, especially since all three members of this family had tested negative before leaving,” he said.
On Thursday, the family flew to Japan from Napier via Auckland on flight NZ5018. Passengers on the same flight have been asked to remain alert for any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as a precautionary measure.
One possible explanation is that the child may have been infected earlier in the year when the family had previously been to Japan, Dr. Bloomfield said.
International fishermen in Christchurch
Dr Bloomfield clarified that 29 of the foreign fishermen who arrived in New Zealand on October 16 are confirmed cases of COVID-19. Eighteen tested positive due to routine testing on day three of their stay, and an additional eight tested positive on day six, a precautionary step that required the group to be retested. Three more cases were confirmed on day nine, which involved repeating preventive tests of close contacts, or of those who shared a room with a confirmed case. More tests will be done on the 12th, which is tomorrow.
Sudima Christchurch Airport has served as a dedicated managed isolation facility for the fishermen, who arrived on a chartered flight from Moscow on Friday, October 16.
Dr Bloomfield said the arrival of the next cohort at Sudima Christchurch Airport will be delayed until the ministry has cleared the safe fishing crews to leave the facility. Before they can leave, health officials will make sure that confirmed cases have recovered and that there is no evidence of other infections among the fishermen.
Ken Rei Boat
The Ken Rei, a ship boarded by the port worker that was registered as a community case on October 18, docked at Napier on Tuesday morning.
All 21 crew members tested negative, Dr. Bloomfield said, and none show symptoms of the virus. The crew will remain aboard the Ken Rei while it is docked at Napier, before departing for Tauranga.
