Possible coronavirus case in New Zealand

A possible case of the new coronavirus has been found in Auckland, with test results expected today.

Ministry of Health director-general Dr Ashley Bloomfield said yesterday that the person fitted the definition of a suspected case and was being managed appropriately. The person had come forward to Auckland Hospital.

If it was a confirmed case, the aim would then be to stop any further transmission, and keep up rigorous surveillance and public messages to get people to come forward and seek medical advice.

China now has 8149 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with 171 deaths, according to state media outlets. At least 96 cases have been recorded outside mainland China, and five other countries have reported person-to-person transmission of the virus.

Bloomfield would not say if the person was from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, or a New Zealand citizen. He did not have details about where the person had been.

The person was in a special isolation room, which had ‘‘negative pressure ventilation’’ that stopped the possibility of a virus being carried out in the air.

The pandemic plan would not necessarily change if the suspected case was confirmed, Bloomfield said. ‘‘We have advice in hospitals on how to manage suspect cases and if they are confirmed, how to treat them.

‘‘What we are interested in doing is identifying any suspected cases, confirm whether or not they are cases and then stopping any onward transmission.’’

New Zealand can now test for the virus within hours. Bloomfield said Crown research body ESR will run a batch of tests daily.

The World Health Organisation has declared that the coronavirus epidemic in China now constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. But New Zealand authorities say there are no plans to screen passengers arriving from coronavirus-affected countries.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision after a meeting of its emergency committee amid mounting evidence of the virus’ spread to some 19 countries.

A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries.

Bloomfield updated media yesterday following a meeting of the Government’s top level security committee. The meeting, triggered by the WHO declaration, discussed the logistics for the planning to get Kiwis out of Wuhan and getting the clearance from China, he said.

A lot of work was going into the logistics to get an Air NZ evacuation flight into China, but not all passengers were guaranteed a place on the flight.

Health staff would travel to China and screen passengers getting on the flight, to ensure they were fit to fly, he said.

‘‘If we feel they are unwell and infectious, and it is appropriate they receive medical attention there [China], then that is what will happen.’’

The officials would then get clearances for the people to get out of China and make the arrangements for those people when they arrive back in New Zealand.

The ministry had advised precautions that could be taken on the flight, to reduce transmission between passengers on the flight and to protect the crew, he said. He would not give timings for the flight. Bloomfield had provided the Minister of Health with ‘‘appropriate’’ options for quarantine, but would not say where or how many options there were. Decisions were being considered, he said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said well over a hundred Kiwis had registered to get on the evacuation flight. New Zealand still had to wait on clearance for the flight to leave but good progress was being made with the Chinese authorities, logistics and managing the protocols of those returning, she said.

Meanwhile Air New Zealand has announced it will cut back on flights to Shanghai, in anticipation of a reduced desire to travel to China.

Normally seven weekly return flights travel from Auckland to Shanghai, this will be reduced to four weekly flights between February 18 and March 31.