Man’s death linked to Bluff cluster

Wellington’s only coronavirus death is linked to a Bluff wedding, which has become New Zealand’s single biggest coronavirus cluster.

Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield revealed fresh details about the case yesterday during a press conference where it was revealed the country had 18 new cases.

Dr Caroline McElnay, director of public health, said on Saturday that a man in his 80s had died in Wellington Regional Hospital on Friday.

He first became unwell on March 26 and was admitted to the hospital two days later, she said. The man was believed to have had underlying health conditions, however McElnay did not say what these were.

The Bluff cluster, originating from a wedding, has become New Zealand’s biggest Covid-19 cluster, with 86 cases linked back to it. The origin of the cluster was overseas, the Ministry of Health says. With one new case in the past 24 hours it has one more confirmed case than a Marist College, Auckland cluster.

One of the 70 guests at the wedding reception in Bluff, on March 21, said it was ‘‘a beautiful, beautiful wedding.’’

But as New Zealand entered a nationwide lockdown days later, many of those guests had already been struck ill, as well as the bride and groom.

There are two known clusters in Wellington. One is linked to a group of people who had travelled to the United States. As at Friday, a total of 16 confirmed and probable cases had been linked to that cluster. The second cluster – with 13 confirmed and probable cases – was a wedding held at Boomrock in Ohariu Valley on March 14.