New Sydney case bubble alert
Community scare may impact transtasman travel, travellers’ isolation
Aman with no known links to the border has tested positive for Covid-19 in Sydney, raising questions for what the new case in the community means for the transtasman travel bubble.
The man in his 50s, who lives in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and was “very active” before testing positive, had a high viral load, according to officials.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday there were no signs of community transmission and the man had no known link to the border.
Genome sequencing is under way and results are expected today to establish whether there’s any link to any recent returnees.
Two flights arrived in Auckland from Sydney in the immediate hours after the announcement.
Late last night the Ministry of Health assessed the public health risk to New Zealand from the case was low.
It did not recommend any change in quarantine-free travel.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health
announced there were three new Covid cases in MIQ to report — two from the United Arab Emirates and one from the United States.
The ministry also revealed that 32 people in New Zealand have been advised to isolate at home until they receive a negative result from a day 5 test, as a result of the Brisbane Airport green zone breach.
To date, three passengers caught up in the breach have returned a negative result.
“Remaining passengers who
weren’t at the locations of interest at the specified times should continue monitoring their health and, if symptoms develop, call Healthline and get a test,” the ministry said.
“The risk from this event continues to be assessed as low.”
A total of 304,900 doses of the Covid vaccine have now been administered — 87,297 people have received both doses, while 217,603 people have had their first jab.
According to the Ministry of Health’s plan, New Zealand’s vaccine rollout is at 103 per cent. That means it’s just ahead of schedule.
But the breakdown differs across regions around the country. The MidCentral district health board area, for example, is at 150 per cent. Northland is at just 70 per cent.
In terms of the areas where the most vaccines have been administered, Counties Manukau is at the front of the pack with 29,410 total jabs so far.
Of those, 13,664 people have had their second dose.