Covid 19 Coronavirus: two new cases in managed isolation

There are two new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation.

There are no new community cases.

Both cases reported today arrived from India on September 26.

The people have been in controlled isolation and have had a positive routine test result around day 12. They have now both been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

The total number of active New Zealand cases is now 41, all imported cases.

Yesterday, local labs processed 5,597 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 992,141 since the pandemic began.

The Director General of Health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, said yesterday that it was “a great milestone” that there were no active cases in the community.

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While it was good to pause and reflect on the nation’s collective success, he cautioned against complacency by saying that Covid-19 continued to pose a threat in New Zealand.

It was especially important to continue with the movements and maintain good hygiene.

“Alert level 1 is not alert level none.

“We need to be vigilant and do our part,” he said.

“If you are unwell, stay home, seek advice, and get tested.”

Bloomfield said there is a continuing risk of more cases emerging in the community.

“We cannot afford to be complacent, but we must pause and acknowledge that it has not been without its challenges and costs, but it is a great place to be.”

Yesterday Bloomfield announced that there were only two new cases, both in managed isolation.

There was also a historical case.

One of the cases in controlled isolation developed symptoms around day eight of his stay in Rotorua. The other person returned from Hong Kong and tested positive on the third day.

The landmark case returned from India and completed its managed isolation and was followed up as part of its investigation.

There were currently 39 active cases imported into the country.

Bloomfield also confirmed that officials may never know the source of the August Auckland cluster that saw 179 people fall ill and took the lives of three people.

A report was also published on how many healthcare workers got infected while doing their job.

Bloomfield said healthcare workers accounted for about 11 percent of confirmed and probable cases in the first wave during the March outbreak.

Since the first wave, 167 Covid-19 cases were healthcare and support workers: 96 were likely infected in the workplace and the remainder were infected abroad or in the community. Of the health workers, 62.5 percent worked in nursing homes.

The report showed the importance of keeping those workers safe, Bloomfield said.

By comparison, three healthcare workers were infected during the last outbreak.

Bloomfield said the main point about the health workers’ report was that the majority of the cases were in nursing home care and identified issues related to PPE and cleanliness.