Here’s why NZ still has ‘significant clusters’ despite being COVID-free
Auckland: New Zealand has been ‘COVID-free’ for 21 days now, with no new cases and no active cases.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health said it had closed another significant coronavirus cluster, bringing the total closures to 10. Amid the thick of our outbreak, there were 16 significant clusters.
A significant COVID-19 cluster is when there are ten or more cases connected through transmission and who are not all part of the same household. The cluster includes both confirmed and probable cases.
The largest cluster stemmed from a wedding in Bluff, and another large cluster was linked to Marist College in Auckland.
Of the country’s 16 clusters, 10 have closed and six clusters were still considered as open despite our COVID-free streak.
Here’s why:
Elimination pending
New Zealand is inching closer to successfully eliminating COVID-19. Elimination is reached after 28 days (two incubation periods) of no new cases, according to health officials.
If no cases emerge in the next week, COVID-19 elimination will be achieved.
Of the 1504 confirmed and probable cases reported around the country, 1482 have recovered.
The last active case – a person in their 50s linked to the St Margaret’s Hospital and Rest Home cluster – recovered on Monday. Last Monday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the milestone of no active cases for the first time since February 28 was “certainly a significant mark in our journey”, but he also reiterated that ongoing vigilance against COVID-19 continued to be essential.”
Remaining clusters
According to the Ministry of Health, a cluster is considered closed when there have been no new cases for two incubation periods (28 days) from the date when all cases complete isolation.
So 10 of the nation’s significant clusters have reached this milestone. The six clusters that haven’t yet were from Bluff, Auckland’s Marist College, Matamata, and at aged care facilities in Auckland, Waikato and Christchurch.
Stuff