Officials track Covid contacts
Health officials are tracking down visitors to more than 30 public places visited by a Far North woman who tested positive for Covid-19 at the weekend, the first probable community case in more than two months.
Fronting a press conference in Wellington yesterday afternoon, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the Northland woman had visited cafes, restaurants and tourist spots between Auckland and Whanga¯rei, before reporting feeling unwell, testing positive for the virus, and going into isolation at her home.
Last night, the Ministry of Health had confirmed one of these locations: a Bendon outlet shop in Whanga¯rei.
Hipkins said the 56-yearold woman had been isolating at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel after arriving in New Zealand from Europe on December
30, but had passed both her
Covid-19 tests before leaving isolation.
The woman started feeling mild symptoms on January 15, including muscle aches, and began feeling sicker over
time. A positive Covid-19 test was returned on Saturday evening.
It is the first community case in New Zealand since November
18 last year and, although the true source of infection awaits further tests results expected today, Bloomfield said officials were working on the assumption that the woman had caught virus in isolation and had caught one of the more virulent strains. ‘‘We are working on the assumption this is positive case and a more transmissible variant.
‘‘We need people to be vigilant and get with the programme.’’
It comes amid warning from experts that New Zealand needs to impose stricter measures at the border in order to keep out Covid19 strains that a raging overseas. Bloomfield confirmed at least
13 guests that were staying at the Pullman at the same time as the woman has tested positive for Covid-19, including some with the more virulent strain.
About 600 people that worked or stayed at the hotel at the same time as the woman are being asked to self-isolate and will be retested.
As of last night, four close contacts had been identified, and were self-isolating. All 30 places she visited were being contacted and tracing of other possible contacts was under way.
However, Hipkins said the woman was travelling with her husband, did not attend mass events and had been taking all precautions.
He said he did not want to make any comments about the potential spread or the Government’s possible response, such as further lockdowns, until the necessary information was gathered.
‘‘It’s very early days yet,’’ he said.
However, extra Covid-19 testing capacity in Auckland and Northland had already been set up, in anticipation of a surge in people seeking tests.
He reiterated what has been asked of Kiwis – including staying home if feeling unwell and getting a test.
People were asked to continue scanning in to locations through the Covid Tracer app – something the woman was doing herself.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health said there were eight other new cases of Covid-19, all in managed isolation.
Two of the positive cases were from South Africa, two from the United States, one from the United Kingdom, one from the United Arab Emirates, one from Ethiopia and one from India.
On Friday, Hipkins announced optional saliva testing would be available for border workers in quarantine facilities from today.
It is the first time Covid-19 saliva testing has been offered by the Government.
This new precautionary measure is in response to higher rates of infection overseas and the more transmissible variants of Covid-19.
The saliva tests would be offered on a voluntary basis, and would not replace nasal swabs, Hipkins said.
It was hoped the saliva tests would mean any positive cases among workers at quarantine facilities would be picked up faster and workers would be provided with another layer of assurance. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 79. The total number of confirmed cases is 1927.