Covid-19: anxious awaiting genome result after mysterious case diagnosis in Auckland

Auckland is looking forward to the genome sequencing in the city’s latest community case of Covid-19 to hopefully identify the origin of the strain.

Scientists at ESR, Crown’s research institute, worked overnight to process the woman’s swab for whole genome sequencing.

The central city store worker was among the latest community cases announced Thursday, but exactly where she contracted Covid-19 is unclear.

So far, the Ministry of Health has sequenced 1,084 genomes, including 169 from controlled isolation and quarantine facilities.

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After the genome sequencing of your swab is complete, it will be compared to the ones in the file. A match could be the crucial element in determining where your infection came from.

The woman lives alone in Vincent Residences, a downtown apartment block next to the Grand Millennium managed isolation hotel that houses returnees serving their mandatory 14-day period.

When news of his case broke, speculation arose that he may have contracted the virus from someone in the isolation facility, compounded by reports of apartment tenants mingling with guests after a fire alarm on Monday night.

However, “this is not likely to be a source of infection for this case because I already had symptoms that day,” said Public Health Director Dr. Caroline McElnay.

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Downtown Auckland will once again resemble a ghost town on Friday, after the Health Ministry asked everyone who works there to work from home whenever possible.

That call was made “out of a precaution,” McElnay said.

“If you must go to this area, wear masks and social distancing while health authorities continue to work to trace the source of this infection.”

Meanwhile, public health personnel have launched a frenzied contact tracing effort.

Two of the case’s friends from the community and a colleague have been identified as close contacts, and the friends were transferred to the Jet Park quarantine facility near Auckland Airport as a precaution. All three are fine, according to the ministry.

The woman worked in a public-facing role as a clerk at AZ Collection in High St.

She took several “very short” Ubers to work and their drivers are being contacted by contact trackers, urging them to get tested and isolate themselves.

He also briefly visited the following places; Anyone who was there at the same time is asked to take the test and self-isolate if they have symptoms:

• Smith and Caughey department store on Queen St, Saturdays from 3.50 pm to 6 pm
• Starbucks on Queen St, Sunday 11.30am to 11.45am
• Sunnytown Restaurant on Lorne St, Sunday 11.30-11.45
• The Gateau House at 332 Queen St, Sunday from 6.40 pm to 6.50 pm
• Starbucks on Queen St, Mondays from 11.30am to 11.40am
• Sunnytown Restaurant on Lorne St, Mondays 11.30-11.40.

TENANTS LEFT IN THE DARK BY OFFICERS

Some tenants of the apartment say they were not aware of the positive case related to their block until Things he asked them about it on Thursday.

Taituha Netana-Patrick said health officials did not contact him or warn him to isolate himself and get tested.

“I’m a little scared.”

He said he believed the risk of transmission within the building was high as it contained a shared elevator, a swimming pool and a sauna.

He returned to his room with his partner after journalists informed him of the advice of the Ministry of Health. The couple said they wished they had been notified by officials.

The building’s frantic manager, Rajeev Chembath, also said he was only notified of a possible link to the new case on Thursday, an hour before the 1 p.m. briefing.

All residents of the apartment block have been asked to go home and stay home while the tests are conducted, and have been told to isolate themselves for three days.

The health authorities were working closely with the corporate body and a cleaning company was carrying out a deep cleaning of the common areas of the apartment building, including the stairs, the elevators and the lobby.

All common areas of the building will be closed and on Thursday night there will be a mobile test station for residents.

WITNESSES SAW MIQ GUESTS MIXING WITH TENANTS

Tenants at Vincent Residences mingled with residents of the Grand Millennium after the facility was evacuated due to a fire alarm Monday night.

But McElnay said the alarm is not likely a source of infection because the case was already symptomatic at the time.

Police were on the scene to try to keep MIQ away from the public, but there were no barriers.

A Things The reporter said that several hundred people were on the sidewalk and were free to mingle with apartment residents coming and going.

Netana-Patrick also said that he saw the two groups mix.

But Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the head of managed isolation and quarantine, said MIQ staff, hotel security and police worked together to ensure guests were evacuated safely.

They were contained in identified gathering areas outside the hotel, he said.

“The guests were continuously monitored and contained. The staff ensured that the returnees had social distancing, covered their faces and the bubbles were kept. “

MIQ facilities operate in a Level 4 alert environment and strict infection prevention controls were followed, Webb said.

“We are confident that the integrity of the managed isolation facility was not compromised and that the claims of those in freely managed isolation ‘mixed and mixed’ with members of the public are not accurate.”