Tuesday's Covid-19 update: Eight new cases, down from 12 on Monday

The Ministry of Health is reporting eight new Covid cases. On Monday there were 12 cases.

One of the latest cases is unlinked and was a person that presented at the emergency department of Waitakere Hospital on Monday night. They are now in North Shore Hospital, while the department at the Waitakere Hospital has undergone a deep clean, five staff have been stood down and eight patients are being treated as contacts.

Of the 12 cases on Monday, five of those cases were infectious in the community.

The Government next reviews Alert levels next Monday.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield reported that a wastewater test in Tauranga had shown up a positive result. Further testing was to be done. He was recommending anybody with symptoms in Tauranga to get a Covid test.

There are 14 people in hospital - all in Auckland. Three of these are in ICU.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced some relaxation of the rules for people needing to leave Auckland, specifically for those needing to relocate, those with shared caregiving, or those returning home. They would need to present negative test results before being allowed to leave. A statement from Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins is attached at the bottom of this article.

Ardern reported that just 4000 people in Auckland received their first dose of the vaccine on Monday and she said the rates needed to be stepped up if Auckland was to meet the target of 90% with at least one dose.

Bloomfield said of the 1185 cases in the latest outbreak, 260 were children under the age of 12 and therefore not eligible for vaccination. Of the remaining 925 cases, 718 (78%) had no vaccine, 150 had one dose and 38 (4%) were fully vaccinated.

This is the detailed update from the Ministry of Health:

New cases identified at the border

Historical cases identified at the border

Wastewater and Testing

ESR has reported one positive detection in wastewater in Tauranga from a sample collected on 23 September.

Follow up samples from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui were taken this morning (28 September), with results expected later this week (Thursday).

Additional samples are also being taken from nearby areas including Paeroa, Waihi Beach, Katikati, Matamata, Te Puke and Maketu.

Given we are dealing with the Delta variant, we are asking people in the Greater Tauranga area – including Mt Maunganui, to get a test if they are symptomatic, or have been at a location of interest in the Tauranga, Waikato, Auckland, or Upper Hauraki areas. A reminder that the Locations of Interest are on the Ministry’s website.

Testing centres in the area will be open extended hours today, and additional testing centres will be established tomorrow to manage increased demand. You can find the locations of testing centres in these areas on Healthpoint.co.nz.

Workers who travel frequently across the Auckland boundary are asked to please check that they are up to date with their regular testing; remember if you have any symptoms, isolate and get a test.

Testing continues across Auckland with a particular focus on Clover Park, Māngere, Favona, Ōtara, Manurewa and Mount Wellington/Sylvia Park.

For all testing locations nationwide, visit https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/

This is the statement from Hipkins:

From 11:59pm tonight additional reasons for permitted travel will be introduced for movement across the Auckland boundary, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

“As this outbreak has shown Delta is highly transmissible, and in order to be confident of controlling its spread, restrictions at the Alert Level boundary have been tougher than previous outbreaks,” Chris Hipkins said.

 “As case numbers have come down in Auckland and with the introduction of a testing regime for personal travel, we are now in a position where we can safely expand the permitted reasons for travel.”

The additional permitted travel reasons are for:

·People relocating permanently to

o   Move into a new property that they have purchased or rented

o   Start a new job

o   Travel to undertake tertiary education or study

·Shared caregiving arrangements

·People returning home from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2

“There are people in Auckland who need to move to a new home or start a new job outside of Auckland, as well as families whose ability to maintain shared childcare arrangements has been restricted,” Chris Hipkins said.

“To ensure risks are mitigated, people who are relocating or returning home to an Alert Level 2 area will need to get a negative test within 72 hours of their departure.

“People crossing the boundary for shared caregiving arrangements will need to have a test within seven days of each crossing, as we recognise these arrangements may involve more back-and-forth travel than other reasons.

“People relocating or returning home will need to carry proof of their reason for travel, and not travel if they are unwell or have any symptoms of COVID-19. 

“Students are asked to get in touch with their tertiary accommodation provider before planning their travel, so their provider can help prepare for their return.

“We have been able to make these changes due to the job that Alert Level 3 is doing, and we will continue to monitor the situation and take a flexible approach where it makes sense, and is safe to do so,” Chris Hipkins said.

People can already relocate or go back home to Auckland permanently, so long as they have proof of residential address. There is no requirement for a COVID-19 test.

“Most people are still not permitted to travel and it is really important that anyone with symptoms or who has been at a location of interest does not travel, isolates at home and gets a COVID-19 test,” Chris Hipkins said.