Two new community cases - one a healthcare worker in Tokoroa

There are two new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand today, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay told media this afternoon at a press conference alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Both are cases in the community with epidemiological links to the Auckland cluster.

One new case is a household contact of a previously confirmed case associated with the Finance Now workplace.

The other new case is associated with an existing Tokoroa case.

This new case was reported yesterday evening and is a healthcare worker who works at a medical centre in Tokoroa. It is believed they came into contact with the existing case on 17 August.

A test was carried out following exposure which returned a negative result. The positive result was picked up on a second test when the person became unwell.

The medical centre they work at is closed pending further contact tracing and is undergoing a deep clean.  The centre had been operating under level 4 precautions with PPE use, telehealth and patient screening.

The potentially infectious period for this case was between 25 – 27 August. The case, who lives alone and has no household contacts, has been in isolation since 27 August.

Contact tracing is actively underway, which includes contacting staff and patients of the medical centre.  Two testing sites are available in Tokoroa today. The first is at Tokoroa Hospital and is open until 3pm. The second is at South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services and is open until 5pm.

Dr McElnay says anyone in Tokoroa with concerns about whether they need to be tested should contact Healthline (0800 358 5453) or their doctor and have a test if it is offered.