A person who travelled from New Zealand that reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia has actually tested negative.
Their initial positive result was from a rapid antigen test. They later had a follow up PCR test - the same test that's used in New Zealand - which was negative. They're regarded as a false positive, the Ministry of Health (MoH) says.
The person had arrived in New Zealand in January to visit family members living in Invercargill. They departed a flight from Auckland on July 5.
"The person was asymptomatic during their time here and on the flight home. They had no known contact with COVID-19," a MoH spokesperson says.
The spokesperson emphasised that since the person has tested negative and didn't have known contact with the virus, they "weren't a risk to begin with" for New Zealanders.
"As an added precaution, family members the person was staying with in New Zealand have also been tested. All were negative."
The family went into isolation as a precaution until they all returned negative tests.
The person was among five new cases reported in Malaysia on Monday, three imported and two local transmissions.
Malaysia's director-general of health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the two imported cases were two Malaysians and a permanent resident, all of whom were returning from overseas.
