Health officials are working on a theory that people were infected with the Covid 19 coronavirus Delta variant in a walkway of the Crowne Plaza. Photo / Michael Craig
Health officials are working on a theory that people were infected with the Covid 19 coronavirus Delta variant in a walkway of the Crowne Plaza. Photo / Michael Craig
EDITORIAL:
Auckland remains the front door to our country and, as such, is the most likely point of entry for Covid-19 coronavirus.
The latest and our largest outbreak, now known as the August 2021 cluster, touched down in Auckland and has now surged past 200 cases. The second largest, lastyear, was simply called the Auckland August cluster.
This time, after the latest cases were confirmed in Wellington, the entire country had to be put into alert level 4 lockdown on August 18.
The transmission of the Delta variant is much faster than the previous iteration of the virus and we know the best tool to slow that spread is vaccination.
Vaccination does not prevent transmission but it lessens symptoms, reducing the more violent emissions such as coughing and sneezing which blast virus-laden droplets out to infect others.
We have no way of knowing for sure how much our latest outbreak could have been slowed and more readily contained if all the people it initially came into contact with were vaccinated. But it's clear we should be aiming for this. The fully vaccinated wife of the first discovered case was not infected.
The dramatic uptake in vaccination by the whole country was understandable once word of the Delta outbreak was announced.
The Government had earlier focused vaccination efforts around south Auckland, as the neighbouring international airport was a likely crack in our defence. With the current cluster linked to the Crowne Plaza in inner Auckland, is it time to take the same approach downtown?
Auckland hosts arrivals at 17 converted hotels, by far the most and more than double the next largest host city of Christchurch.
Officials expect another 3500 arrivals in the next fortnight, replacing the 3900 currently in isolation and quarantine facilities.
There are almost 20,000 people online each day, looking for a booking in MIQ. While they continue to press with their efforts to "come home", we need to be offering them and ourselves the safest environment to land in.
Vaccinating Auckland as a priority may be best for all of us.
