A timeline of Covid-19 as the number of confirmed cases increases around the world.
Three passengers have recently been detected with Covid-19 after flying out of New Zealand, yet health officials remain confident the virus isn't circulating in the community.
The cases included a Korean traveller in New Zealand, who tested positive to Covid-19 after returning to South Korea, and a woman, who transited through Auckland on July 6 while en-route from Los Angeles to Sydney.
The most recent case then involved a woman who flew from Auckland to Sydney onboard Air NZ flight NZ103 on July 20.
Covid-19 testing has been taking place in Northcote, Eden Terrace, Henderson and Wiri. Photo / Dean Purcell.
She went straight into quarantine in Sydney where authorities tested her on her second day. Her results came back positive for Covid-19 on July 26.
"I'm just very healthy and very lucky to be honest. I think people need to be aware that there are different cases out there and you can be asymptomatic and still be positive," she said.
The woman had earlier returned to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in March after the pandemic hit Europe. She believed she contracted the virus on her return flight.
She lost her sense of smell and taste but was unable to be tested because strict criteria at the time meant doctors generally did not send people for testing based on those symptoms.
She said, as with the flu, she would have been infectious for a period back in March but her positive result months later did not mean she was still contagious.
She ended up spending three weeks in isolation and then New Zealand went into lockdown.
It meant she didn't see friends or family for quite some time and consequently none of them later became ill in recent months.
Ministry of Health officials said it appeared the woman's recent positive test for Covid-19 did appear to suggest she had been "an unconfirmed case" back in March.
"We will continue to fully investigate the circumstances of this positive result, including travel history," the Ministry said.
They also said there was no evidence the Korean man had spread Covid-19 to Kiwis during his recent trip here.
The man was earlier in South Auckland from June 20 to July 20, Queenstown from July 1 to 4 and in and around Christchurch Airport on July 20 and 21, officials said.
"All domestic contacts of this case tested to date have returned negative results," officials said.
Health officials have been doing Covid-19 targeted surveillance testing in Auckland after three people have tested positive after flying out of New Zealand. Photo / Brett Phibbs
As well as close contacts, the Ministry of Health also undertook targeted surveillance in Queenstown, South Auckland and Christchurch linked to locations the Korean man had been.
Officials reported a steady stream of people coming to the targeted Auckland testing centres in Northcote, Eden Terrace, Henderson and Wiri on Saturday.
Health officials had earlier said the risk of community transmission from the man was low and that he likely contracted the virus after leaving New Zealand.
Similarly, a woman who tested positive in Australia after transiting through Auckland from Los Angeles on July 6 has been found not to have left Auckland Airport.
"At this point, there are not considered to be any close contacts who need to be traced or tested but enquiries continue with both the airline and airport," health officials said.
