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National | Ministry of Health

16 new border cases since mid-week update

NZ has averaged about four new border cases of Covid-19 a day since the last update on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health says.

There are no new cases in the community but there is one historical case in the community from seven months ago now confirmed.

New Cases

During the past four days, there has been a total of 16 cases.
       
· One case arrived on 17 December from the United States.  The person tested positive on day seven as they were a close contact of another case on the same flight.  This person is now in quarantine in a facility in Christchurch.

· One case arrived on 19 December from India via the United Arab Emirates. This person tested positive at routine testing around day three and has been transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility.

· Two cases travelling together arrived on 20 December from India via the United Arab Emirates.  They tested positive about day three and are both now in Auckland quarantine.

· Two cases, travelling separately, arrived on 20 December from India via the United Arab Emirates and tested positive around day three.  Both people have now been transferred to quarantine in Auckland.

· One case, an air flight support crew member, arrived on 22 December from France. This person tested positive following routine testing on day two and has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.  One close contact has been identified and that person has returned a negative result and is in self-isolation.  

· Two cases arrived on 21 December from the United States.  They tested positive around day three and have both been transferred to quarantine in a facility in Christchurch.
 
· One case arrived on 22 December from Pakistan via Qatar and Australia. This person was symptomatic and tested positive on day one and is now in Auckland's quarantine facility.

· One case arrived on 22 December from Malaysia via the United Arab Emirates.  The person tested positive at routine testing around day three and has been transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility.

· One case arrived on 22 December from India via Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.  The person tested positive around day three and is in Auckland quarantine.

· One case arrived from India via the United Arab Emirates on 22 December and tested positive about day three. They are now at Auckland's quarantine facility.

· One case arrived on 22 December.  The last leg of their journey was from Singapore but their country of origin is yet to be confirmed. The person tested positive at routine testing around day three and has now been transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility.

· One case arrived on 24 December from India via the United Arab Emirates.  The person was tested on day one as they were symptomatic and is in Auckland quarantine.

Historical Case

One historical case from May is now being confirmed after having been investigated. The person, based in Christchurch, returned a weak positive result in May.

The results from additional testing were inconclusive and it was determined the case was likely to be historical at time of diagnosis. At the time, the person was a close contact of a family member who had recently returned from overseas and was in self-isolation at home as managed isolation facilities were yet to be established.

The person was fully recovered in May and is now being recorded as a community case to formally close off the investigation.

Active Cases

Fifteen previously reported cases have now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 50. Our total number of confirmed cases is 1,788.

NZ Covid Tracer

Over the summer holiday break, the ministry is reminding all New Zealanders to keep each other safe and use the Covid Tracer app to scan QR codes and turn on Bluetooth functionality.
 
"This will allow you to receive an alert if you have been near another app user who tests positive for Covid-19," the ministry said.