COVID-19 Update

Today, we have two new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation, and no new cases linked to the Auckland February cluster.

There are now 11 cases associated with this cluster and all cases are in the Auckland quarantine facility. Image
Genome testing for Case I has shown it to be the B.1.1.7 variant and very closely related to the genome sequence for Cases A and B.

This is what we expected and provides reassurance that the cases yesterday have not appeared in the community at random.
Both cases A and I are genomically linked - both are students at Papatoetoe High and both were at school on 10 February. We haven’t yet established the exact transmission link between the two, but it is likely to have occurred in a common area such as a corridor or bathroom.
Advice to the public

The most current information around what people need to do within the different categories of contacts will be available on the Locations of Interest page on the Ministry of Health website.

(health.govt.nz/our-work/disea…)
Contact tracing

Contact tracing has previously identified a total of 126 close contacts associated with the previous two households (Cases A – H). All these contacts have now returned negative test results, except for three close contacts who have not been tested.
Two of these are children who are not required to be tested. We have not been able to contact one person from the medical clinic, but we continue to use all avenues to find and follow up with this person. Theirs was considered to be a low risk exposure event.
Of the 1,496 casual plus contacts identified at Papatoetoe High School. 1,487 have returned at least one negative test result. Of the remaining contacts, three were positive cases (Case E, I and J), and 6 students who have not been tested since February 10.
The six students who have not been tested since 10 February continue to be actively followed up by the local public health authorities.
In this current instance, we are being especially cautious & are managing those present at the locations of interest at the relevant dates & times as if they are close contacts – they must stay at home, isolate for 14 days & get tested at least twice.
They will also receive a daily follow up.

Testing in Auckland

There are seven community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today.
The community testing centres are in Wiri, Otara, Botany, Balmoral, New Lynn, Henderson and Northcote, as well as the dedicated testing for staff and students happening on-site at Papatoetoe High School.
DHBs have boosted capacity at all the community testing centres in Auckland, with additional staff and extended hours.

For up-to-date information on all testing locations nationwide, visit the Healthpoint website. (healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/)
New border case details

There are two new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation. One of these cases is deemed historical and not infectious.

The active case arrived on 22 February, and tested positive on Day 0. They have been moved to quarantine in Auckland.
The historic case arrived on 19 February, tested positive on Day 0 and is not infectious. They are located in Christchurch.

No previously reported cases have recovered. Two previously reported cases have been reclassified as under investigation.
The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 62. Our total number of confirmed cases is 2,009. Globally, there have been 111,419,939 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,470,772 deaths, reported to WHO.
The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,674,282.

On Tuesday, 7,834 tests were processed. The seven-day rolling average up to yesterday is 8,724 tests processed.
Historical cases

Since January 1, there have now been 34 historical cases, out of a total of 199 cases.
NZ COVID Tracer

It remains critical to keep track of where you’ve been and the COVID Tracer app is an easy way to do this. Please continue to scan QR codes wherever you go and turn on Bluetooth tracing in the app dashboard if you haven’t already done so.
NZ COVID Tracer now has 2,678,102 registered users, an increase of more than 110,000 users in the last fortnight.

Poster scans have reached 193,748,063 and users have created 7,784,986 manual diary entries. Scans in the last 24 hours 1,351,106.

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More from @covid19nz

27 Feb
COVID-19 Update

There are no new cases in the community to report today.

There is one new case of COVID-19 in managed isolation. Image
Auckland February cases contact tracing update

There are 3 categories of contacts related to the KFC exposure event.
KFC staff - there are 11 close plus contacts who worked at the same time as Case L. These people have all been contacted and will begin testing today, day 5 since their last contact. They will be isolating for 14 days along with their household contacts.
Read 28 tweets
26 Feb
We've noticed a few questions about why we haven't moved up Alert Levels, despite there being new cases in the community this week. Here's a quick explanation.
We moved up Alert Levels on 15 February as the new case could not be clearly linked to the border. Image
Contact tracers needed time to investigate the source, and to identify close and casual contacts so that they could be tested and, in some cases, isolated.
It became clear there wasn’t widespread transmission and genome sequencing showed the new community cases were all linked to the first cases identified on the weekend of 14 February. This is a lower-risk scenario so we were able to move down to Alert Level 1, where we remain.
Read 5 tweets
26 Feb
COVID-19 Update
There are 2 new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation and one new community case, a person linked to the Auckland February cases and who has been in quarantine from Tuesday 23 February to report today. Image
The latest community case (Case L) is a household contact of cases I, J and K.
This person was tested on arrival into quarantine and returned a negative result. This individual then developed symptoms and returned a positive test.
Read 37 tweets
25 Feb
COVID-19 Update

Today, 25 February, we have three new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation, and no new cases linked to the Auckland February cluster.

One of the three cases today in managed isolation today is a historical case and not regarded as infectious. Image
All 11 cases associated with the Auckland February cluster remain in the Auckland quarantine facility.

Genome testing results now available for Case K has shown it to be the B.1.1.7 variant and again very closely related to the genome sequence for Cases A and B.
This provides further reassurance that the cases from the additional household announced on Tuesday have not appeared from elsewhere in the community. All cases that have been sequenced in this cluster are genomically linked & are connected to the cases at Papatoetoe High School.
Read 34 tweets
24 Feb
UPDATED: 19 & 20 February Locations of Interest and required actions

For contact tracing purposes, anyone who attended one of the locations listed here during the relevant timeframes is considered to be a contact. Image
Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking individuals to follow the instructions below if they visited these locations during the times listed.

Following a possible exposure, the optimal timing for casual plus contacts to get a test is 5 days.
The advice below says what you need to do, including when you need to get a test.

Where the optimal time for a test is in the future, we’ll specify a date. Where the optimal time for a test has passed, we’ll specify the need for a test as soon as possible.
Read 21 tweets
20 Feb
COVID-19 Update

Today we are reporting 2 cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation.

There are no new cases in the community, nor any linked to the Auckland February cluster.
Auckland February cases contact tracing update

Other than the known cases which have been reported, all close contacts associated with the cases households, school and travel group to New Plymouth have returned negative results.
Contact tracing has identified a total of 128 close contacts associated with all cases in this cluster, aside from the positive cases which have previously been reported. Of these, 120 of the close contacts have returned a negative test result.
Read 26 tweets

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