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There are two new cases of Covid-19 in isolation managed on the first day Auckland joined the rest of the country at alert level 1.
There is an additional landmark case, Health Director-General Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said in a media update at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The total number of active cases is now 39, all of which are managed in isolation.
On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said all patients from the recent Auckland outbreak have recovered and there are no active cases left in the community. This was a “great milestone,” said Bloomfield.
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The Health Ministry today publishes a new report on Covid-19 infections among healthcare workers, Bloomfield said.
He said the cases accounted for about 11 percent of the 1,508 confirmed and probable cases in the first wave.
The report highlights that 57 percent of workers have likely been infected in the workplace, the rest were infected in the community or from trips abroad.
The proportion of cases in the health sector remains similar to that reported in April.
At that time, New Zealand had 1,474 confirmed and probable cases. Figures provided to Stuff from the Ministry of Health showed that 155 health workers across the country had contracted Covid-19.
The total number of infected health workers now stands at 167.
Nine of them were hospitalized and two required intensive care.
Of these, 62.5% worked in nursing homes, 27% worked in a hospital and 10.4% worked in the community.
The level of infection in health workers is lower than the world average.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that approximately 14 percent of Covid-19 cases reported globally were healthcare workers. In some countries, this reached 35 percent.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
People are urged to remain vigilant for testing at level 1.
One of the new cases Thursday came from Ireland, via Dubai, on Sept. 29, Bloomfield said.
They developed symptoms on day eight of their stay at the Sudima Hotel in Rotorua.
The second case came from Hong Kong on October 3. They had stayed at the Holiday Inn in Auckland and tested positive on the third day of their stay.
Both cases have now been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, Bloomfield said.
The landmark case is considered an older infection that was not infectious while in New Zealand, he said.
“This person arrived from India on August 27, tested negative on days three and 12 while in controlled isolation and completed controlled isolation on September 11.
“The person was retested as part of the Christchurch returnee case pool follow-up and gave a weak positive result.”
On Wednesday there were three new cases in managed isolation.
“The Auckland August cluster will be officially closed when there are no new cases for two incubation periods since all cases were completely isolated,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Two incubation periods for the virus are four weeks or 28 days.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said Wednesday that the absence of active community cases was a “huge milestone.”
“New Zealanders have once again crushed the virus through their collective actions.”
Auckland residents who woke up on Thursday morning were able to enjoy the same level of freedom as the rest of the country.
The change in alert levels means that restrictions on meetings have been lifted and that face covering in public transport and on flights is no longer mandatory.
However, travelers are encouraged to wear masks on trains, buses, and ferries, as well as at stops, terminals, and train stations.
People are also urged to remain vigilant for testing at level 1 and to take samples if they have cold or flu symptoms.
On Wednesday, the labs processed 6,100 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 986,544.
