Covid 19 coronavirus: a new case in managed isolation

There is a new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation.

There are no new cases of Covid in the community.

The case reported today arrived from Singapore on October 31 and has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

Twenty-four previously reported cases are now considered to have been recovered, bringing the total number of active New Zealand cases to 44.

Christchurch Health Worker Cases

Since positive test results were identified on the two women working at the Sudima managed isolation facility at Christchurch airport, the Health Ministry says systems have worked quickly to circle the virus and prevent spread in the community.

The first healthcare worker, a woman in her 50s, who tested positive, quickly sought a test after developing very mild symptoms, even though they had just been tested two days earlier.

The ministry says this swift action allowed officials to quickly isolate the first case and trace and test the contacts.

Officials then identified another positive case in another healthcare worker, a woman in her 20s, and quickly located and tested the contacts.

Widespread testing had been done on the managed isolation facility and on the contacts of the two infected workers.

The staff who worked at the Sudima Hotel since October 23 have been examined and all 193 returned negative results.

All contacts of infected healthcare workers had been negative, except for one, where the result was still outstanding.

“Investigations are ongoing to determine when exactly healthcare workers were exposed to the virus, but we believe they were infected by the international sailors they have been caring for, 31 of whom tested positive for Covid-19,” said the ministry.

The genome of the first infected worker was B1.1.7. Of the international seaman at the managed isolation facility who had tested positive for Covid-19, five were part of the B1.1.7 lineage.

With an exact match, this indicated a high probability that one of these guests was the source of the health worker’s infection, the ministry said.

Health officials were still waiting for the results of the genome sequencing of the second infected woman.

Both health workers wore PPE while doing their work, the ministry said.

A review would be conducted at the managed isolation facility to assess where procedures could be improved to prevent similar infections in the future.

The fishing crew

Meanwhile, the hundreds of fishermen who arrived from Russia and Ukraine last month have had their stay in controlled isolation extended.

The Community and Public Health team was still working on an exit plan for the sailors, who would be transferred directly to their ships once they were released from controlled isolation.

Cases of yesterday

Yesterday there were two new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation with 67 active cases in New Zealand. There were no new community cases.

The most recent infections included a traveler who arrived from Singapore and a person who joined a family member in controlled isolation who had previously tested positive for Covid.

But it is the latest Christchurch outbreak that has the southern community nervous.

Hundreds of people flocked to the test stations this week after it was revealed that two female medical staff working at Sudima Christchurch Airport, where hundreds of Russian and Ukrainian sailors in managed isolation had recruited Covid.

A decision has yet to be made on when the fishing crew will be allowed to leave the premises. It was announced midweek that the men would likely end their extended stay in quarantine on Friday.

Yesterday, health officials said this depended on investigations in the community that linked a case directly to crew members.

The genomic test of a 50-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID was the same strain as five of the sick crew members.

The genomic test results of a second sick worker, a woman in her 20s, are still being sought.

With a new community outbreak scare in the garden city, Cantabrians have been lining up at test stations this week. An additional site was installed at Princess Margaret Hospital to meet the increased demand.

The two healthcare workers were revealed to have visited a Countdown supermarket and pharmacy while infected with people who had been in the stores at the same time urged by health officials to get tested.

Yesterday, the Unite Against Covid website urged people, including those in Christchurch, to stay home if they were ill, use the government tracking app to record movement, and wear a mask on public transport.