COVID-19: No new cases in the community, one in managed isolation

COVID-19: No new cases in the community, one in managed isolation
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One new case of COVID-19 has been recorded in a managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facility in the past 24 hours.

There remains no evidence of transmission within the community.

The recent returnee arrived on July 25 from the US on a direct flight and tested positive on the first day of their mandatory stay in MIQ.

Ten cases have now recovered from COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said in its update on Wednesday, bringing the number of active infections in New Zealand to 43.

Since January 1, 2021, 691 people have tested positive on New Zealand's shores. Of those, 109 have been reclassified as historical cases, meaning they were no longer infectious at the time of their swab.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is five.    

To date, New Zealand has recorded a total of 2508 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. 

Ship updates

MS Mattina

The Mattina continues to be quarantined in Bluff and is inaccessible to the public.

"Every safety precaution has been taken to ensure the public health risk, which has been deemed low, remains that way," a spokesperson for the ministry said in Wednesday's update.

Playa Zahara

The infected crew from the Playa Zahara vessel have now all recovered from the virus. None of the mariners remain on-shore, having been discharged from MIQ facilities, and the ship is expected to depart shortly.

"Deep cleaning of the vessel is being undertaken on Wednesday and the vessel is expected to depart once this is completed."

Viking Bay

The remaining six mariners from the Viking Bay's 20 crewmen are expected to be released from on-shore MIQ facilities as they recover over the next few days.

The ship remains in quarantine at Queens Wharf in Wellington, where a deep clean will be carried out.

Wastewater sampling continues in Taranaki

A wastewater treatment plant in New Plymouth continues to be tested after fragments of COVID-19 were detected.

Sampling of the plant will continue daily, with further samples taken from sites around the Taranaki region. This will continue for the next week to determine whether there are any undetected cases in the area, the spokesperson said.

There have been no subsequent detections to date.

Community testing is also continuing. Between Wednesday, July 21 and Tuesday, July 27, 1082 swabs have been taken in Taranaki, with all returning negative results to date.

The ministry thanked the local community for their willingness to get tested and to those undertaking the testing.

Anyone in Taranaki with symptoms is urged to get tested. The ministry is also recommending that any recent arrivals from Australia, who are presenting symptoms, get tested - and anyone who has recently been in Australia, who is now in Taranaki, to get tested even if they don’t have symptoms.

Additional testing capacity remains open in New Plymouth to support potential demand. Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should call Healthline for advice on getting a test. For Taranaki testing locations please visit the Taranaki DHB website.

Vaccination update

The Ministry of Health is including the latest vaccine figures in Wednesday's update. From Monday, these will be regularly included.

As of midnight last night, 1,759,154 doses of the Pfizer vaccination have been administered - an increase of more than 206,100 doses on this time last week.

Within that, nearly 700,000 people have now received their second doses, which means they’re fully vaccinated.

On Tuesday, more than 38,600 doses were administered nationally, and overall, the rollout continues to track around 3 percent ahead of plan, the spokesperson said.

In the last seven days 115,454 vaccinations have been administered to those in Group 3, 79 percent more than the same period a month ago.