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Joseph Johnson / Stuff
The new case arrived from Singapore on October 31 and has been transferred to a quarantine facility in Auckland. (File photo)
Personal protective equipment did not stop two healthcare workers from capturing Covid-19 from infected fishermen at a managed isolation facility in Christchurch.
Both workers contracted the virus while caring for 31 of the infected fishermen in the quarantine wing of the Sudima Christchurch airport hotel facility, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
It was not yet known when exactly they contracted the virus.
“Health workers wore PPE while doing their work, but we know this virus is complicated and has thwarted our systems before,” read a statement from the Ministry of Health.
READ MORE:
* Covid-19: two new cases in managed isolation facilities
* Covid-19: Two new cases of coronavirus in managed isolation facilities
* Covid-19: Fishermen’s Christchurch quarantine is extended again until Friday
The Sudima hotel is being used to isolate 235 Russian and Ukrainian fishermen.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
One of the fishermen isolates himself at the Sudima Christchurch Airport hotel on Friday.
The fishermen were expected to leave on Tuesday, but their stay was extended until Friday because the two health workers tested positive.
The Public Health and Community team in Christchurch has conducted detailed investigations, including interviews and contact tracing in the days following the positive test, the statement read.
“We are confident that there is an extremely low risk of re-exposure from health workers to sailors.”
FIRST / RNZ
Two workers at Sudima’s managed isolation facility in Christchurch have tested positive for Covid-19.
Health officials continued to work on an exit plan for the sailors, who will be transferred directly to their ships once they emerge from managed isolation. It was not yet known when that would be.
A second group of fishermen was also expected to isolate themselves in Sudima.
Dr. Ashley Bloomfield previously said that they cannot enter the country until the first batch has been cleared and the facility has been thoroughly cleaned.
Since then, widespread testing has been carried out in Sudima and close contacts have been maintained between the two health workers.
Staff working at the Sudima hotel since October 23 had also been examined and all 193 returned negative results, the ministry statement read.
All close contacts of the first health worker had tested negative and all results received from close contacts of the second worker were negative, but a result was still pending on Friday.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Covid-19 testing at the Princess Margaret Hospital pop-up center on Wednesday.
Genome sequencing of eight of the sailors found three different lineages of the virus. The genome results also showed that the first case was an exact match for five of the sailors.
There was a new case of Covid-19 in New Zealand in managed isolation on Friday. There were no new community cases.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, the new case arrived from Singapore on October 31 and was transferred to a quarantine facility in Auckland.
Twenty-four previously reported cases are considered to have been recovered, bringing the total number of active cases in the country to 44.
On Wednesday, New Zealand’s nurses union called for an urgent investigation into New Zealand’s managed isolation facilities, citing concerns about understaffing, lack of resources and personal protective equipment.
New Zealand Nurses Union kaiwhakahaere (co-director) Kerri Nuku said she had been hearing news of growing concerns from nurses working at MIQ facilities.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
A total of 1,833 people had been tested at the Christchurch Covid-19 testing centers Tuesday through Thursday.
Nuku said a review is needed to ensure healthcare staff are protected, receive adequate support and resources, and to ensure guests receive the “quality of care they deserve.”
Dr. Hannah Gordon, clinical leader of the Canterbury Primary Response Group, which oversees the tests, said that while there was a “steady stream” of those being tested, the numbers were not “huge.”
She said wait times were a little slower in the first 30 minutes of setup, but after that, the lines moved “reasonably fast.”
All test results, plus two from the pop-up center at Princess Margaret Hospital, were completed within 48 hours.
Gordon said that while he could not speak to how the MIQ facilities were managed, he believed the city’s test centers had been “well managed” and had “strong systems” in place.
“It’s really rewarding to work in this space and to see all the different teams really working collaboratively … it makes the hard work worth it.”
Cantabrians are reminded of the test options available to them this weekend.
- Orchard Rd Community Based Assessment Center (CBAC) (near airport) Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7 days a week (walk-in / no referral required)
- WJEC Clinic of the Whānau Ora Community (Wainoni) Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7 days a week (walk-in / no referral required)
- Ashburton CBAC Hospital Site Open from 10 a.m.
Total number of tests in Christchurch:
In general practice
- November 3: 609
- November 4: 280
Orchard Rd
- November 3: 181
- November 4: 138
- November 5: 119
Family life
- November 3: 109
- November 4: 99
- 5:84 November
The Princess Margaret Pop-Up Test Station
Total 1833
