Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the low number of new cases can't be taken for granted. Photo / Supplied
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the low number of new cases can't be taken for granted. Photo / Supplied
Northland has gone 16 days without any new cases of Covid-19 as the national total increases by two.
But director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the low numbers can't be taken for granted and reinforced the need for people to follow level 3 rules.
In a statement sent out today in lieu of the live media update, two new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed.
Both were linked to the St Margaret's Hospital and Rest Home cluster in Auckland, and both cases are household contacts of an employee at the rest home.
Of Northland's 28 cases, 24 have recovered. All eight confirmed or probable cases among Māori have now recovered and 15 of the 20 confirmed or probable cases among non-Māori have now recovered.
There was no update on testing numbers in Northland but from tomorrow Northland District Health Board will be offering Covid-19 swabs to anyone who wants one - symptomatic or not - as a way of seeking out undetected cases as it moves to the next phase of its response.
Nationally, the total number of confirmed and probable cases is now 1487 - 1266 are reported as recovered – an increase of three on yesterday.
It means 85 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases are now considered as recovered.
There were no additional deaths to report. Eight people remain in hospital, none in ICU.
There were 4634 tests completed yesterday, with a combined total to date of 150,223.
There are still 16 significant clusters - three of these clusters are now considered closed as there is no longer transmission of the virus associated with the cluster.
A Covid-19 cluster is considered closed after a total of 28 consecutive days – or two incubation periods for the virus – since its most recent report date of a reported case.
The three closed clusters are the Wellington wedding cluster and the two clusters linked with group travel to the United States – one in Wellington and the other in Auckland.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the low number of new cases can't be taken for granted. Photo / Supplied
Bloomfield reinforced the need for people to continue to act in line with the level 3 rules.
"It's crucial that all New Zealanders stay vigilant and follow the guidelines of physical distancing, keeping to our bubbles, practicing good hand hygiene and if you're unwell, staying away from others and seeking medical advice," he said.
"Today's numbers are encouraging but we can't take them for granted. As I said last week, we all have a part to play."
Bloomfield said while there may had been some excuses early on, one week into level 3 people should be more familiar with the rules, both around increased retail activity and our own social interactions.
