Anatomy of a cluster

At 1.30pm on February 14, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced three community cases in South Auckland. A student at Papatoetoe High School, to be known as Case A, her mother (Case B), and father (Case C).

The mother’s employment at LSG Sky Chefs remains a likely, but unconfirmed, source of infection. Genome sequencing has since confirmed the variant is one of the more infectious ones, B.1.1.7.

The Government took a cautious approach, given the new strain and links to a high school, and at 11.59pm that day, Auckland moved into a three-day alert level 3 lockdown, while the rest of the country moved to level 2.

Two days later, a close contact of Case A, a Year 9 student at Papatoetoe High School, returned a positive test. She’s Case D.

The following day, February 17, the same household produced cases E and F, a Year 12 student and a woman recorded as being in the 40-49 age group, respectively.

Regardless, Auckland moved back down to level 2, and the rest of the country to level 1.

Two days after that, and after a negative Covid-19 test, a man in the 40-49 age group got a positive test result. He’s Case G and part of the second household.

Then, on February 21, already in isolation with the rest of her family, Case H, recorded as being in the 10-19 age group, tested positive – again, she’s part of Family 2.

The following day, Auckland joined the rest of the country at level 1.

On Tuesday, we hear of three new cases, as a third household joins the cluster. There’s Case I, another Papatoetoe High School student and another casual plus contact of Case A.

Case J, the student’s older sister, who recently finished school and has been working at Kmart Botany Downs, and Case K, their younger sister, an infant.

Despite being told to self-isolate, another sister went to work at KFC Botany Downs on Monday and Tuesday, and tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. She’s now Case L.

On Saturday, another household became involved. A 21-yearold student at Manukau Institute of Technology, who also works at Kerry Logistics (Oceania), tested positive. He’s Case M. His mum also tested positive (Case N).

Last night, it was announced a further member of the third household had tested positive. Case O was already in quarantine with cases I, J, K and L.