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National | Ministry of Health

Five new border cases; Health Ministry in touch with UK & NSW officials

There are five new border cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand since the Ministry of Health's Sunday update. There are no new community cases.

New cases

The new cases are arrivals from the United States, South Korea, Russia and a country of origin that is not yet available.

- Two cases arrived on 10 December from the United States. They tested positive due to the onset of symptoms around day 9 and have been transferred to quarantine in a facility in Christchurch.

-  One case arrived on 16 December from South Korea. This person tested positive at routine testing around day 3 and has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

-  One case arrived on 16 December from a country of origin that is not yet available. This person tested positive around day 3 and is at the Auckland quarantine facility.

-  One additional case arrived on 18 December from Russia via Singapore and was tested on arrival. This result is regarded as indicating previous infection – referred to as an historical case.

This person was tested on arrival before transiting to a fishing vessel in Lyttleton on the same day. The vessel left New Zealand shortly after the crew’s arrival and is now in international waters. It will not be returning to New Zealand for some months.

The person had a previous infection, consistent with Covid-19, reported in Russia and their latest test result is interpreted as reflecting that previous infection. The person is not regarded as infectious.

The Ministry is still determining whether this case should be reported against our country’s tally (as it has been today) or whether it should be reported as a case in Russia.

One previously reported case has recovered, with the total number of active cases in New Zealand now 59.

UK COVID-19 variant

Health authorities in the United Kingdom are in communication with other authorities around the world including New Zealand about the emergence of a new Covid-19 strain known as the B.1.1.7. The specific strain identified in the United Kingdom has not been seen in New Zealand cases to date.

The Ministry of Health says it is confident New Zealand’s current use of PPE, testing strategy and 14-day managed isolation for all arrivals is appropriate but continues to review these tools in light of any new and emerging evidence.

The ministry maintains that the country's most important protection at the border is the 14 days in isolation and/or quarantine, together with daily symptom checks and testing at day 3 and day 12. It is confident the current PCR testing would detect this and any new strains.

New South Wales

Ministry of Health officials continue to liaise with officials in New South Wales following an increase in Covid-19 cases in the Australian state. The specific genome identified in New South Wales has not been seen in New Zealand cases to date.