Woman tests positive after quarantine stay
A 56-year-old Northland woman has tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving a managed isolation facility in Auckland.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and DirectorGeneral of Health Ashley Bloomfield fronted a press conference in Wellington yesterday afternoon.
Hipkins said the woman, who lives just south of Whanga¯ rei, had been at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel after arriving in New Zealand from Europe on December 30.
She travelled to Spain and The Netherlands while in Europe. She flew to New Zealand, from London via Singapore, landing on December 30.
She returned two negative tests while in MIQ and was released.
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.
The origin or strain of the virus was not yet known, but Bloomfield said it was possibly a more transmissible variant of the virus.
Hipkins said it was too early to speculate on what New Zealand’s response to the positive case would be and if the country would move alert levels.
But he reiterated what has been asked of Kiwis – including staying home if feeling unwell and getting a test, and washing hands.
People were asked to continue scanning in to locations through the app – something the woman was doing herself.
The woman visited about 30 locations, which were yet to be made public.
Business owners would be informed first, but she had travelled as far as Helensville in
Auckland’s north-west.
As a result of the positive result, testing would be ramped in both Northland and Auckland.
The last case of community transmission in New Zealand was on November 18.
In yesterday’s press release, the Ministry of Health said there were eight 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.
As a result of the positive result, testing would be ramped in both Northland and Auckland.