Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Hawke's Bay DHB apologises for locations of interest date confusion

Hawke's Bay District Health Board has apologised for giving incorrect information relating to Napier locations of interest visited by a Covid-19 positive case.

On Saturday night it was announced by Hawke's Bay District Health Board that the permitted traveller had returned a positive result for the virus from tests taken before he arrived in Hawke's Bay.

Two locations have so far been identified in relation to the case, however following widespread confusion about dates, the DHB issued a further statement clarifying the region's locations of interest.

The DHB said "incorrect information" had been provided on Monday, apologising for the error and encouraging anyone who had been at the locations of interest to get tested for Covid-19.

The correct location of interest details are:
• Big Barrel, Carlyle St, Napier, on November 15, between 6pm and 7pm.
• Paper Plus, Hastings St, Napier South, on November 15, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

Paper Plus in Hastings St, Napier, was listed as a location of interest visited by the Covid-positive man. Photo / Warren Buckland

Its earlier statement said the case had visited Paper Plus in Hastings St, Napier, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on November 16, not 15.

This was at odds with the Ministry of Health's locations of interest website, which had listed the Paper Plus visit as being on November 15 between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

The website was then changed to November 16 at 10am on Tuesday.

It was then changed back again to November 15 at noon on Tuesday, to reflect the clarification.

The DHB statement also confirmed the case has been in the region for over a week.

A spokesperson for MOH said the case was tested in Auckland on November 14, leaving the city and arriving in Hawke's Bay on the same day.

The man was notified of the result on November 17 by Auckland, adding he was in Hawke's Bay when the positive test was notified by the lab.

The man was then "isolated" from the community, the spokesperson said.

However, health authorities initially believed the man was still in Auckland before his positive test results were returned.

And it has now been revealed that the case came to the DHB's attention only after it was raised with them by a family member.

Why the case wasn't announced until Saturday

Director-general of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield acknowledged at Monday afternoon's post-Cabinet press conference that there was a "system failure".

"This person was tested in Auckland and then travelled from Auckland to Hawke's Bay.

"When the positive test was notified by the lab and the person was notified and isolated, they were in Hawke's Bay by that time."

He said Healthline had taken over the man's ongoing care and was making daily phone calls to him.

However, it appeared their callers had assumed the man was still in Auckland and failed to notify the DHB.

"This was just something the system should have notified the public health unit about. It didn't and we've followed up to make sure the system will do that in the future."

Steps had been taken to ensure there was no repeat, he said.

"We now have a flag for them to notify the public health unit."

A permitted traveller from Auckland who tested positive for Covid-19 is isolating at Napier's Kennedy Park Resort. Photo / NZME

The man is now isolating at Napier's Kennedy Park Resort and close contacts have so far returned negative results.

A Ministry of Health statement said that to date, any exposures identified had been assessed as limited, and any contacts able to be contacted directly - as such, they hadn't needed to be listed on the webpage.

A close contact of the case told RNZ the man had been in Napier since Sunday, November 14, but did not see his result until Saturday, November 20, when the case was announced publicly.

RNZ did not name the close contact to protect his privacy, but said it had verified his self-isolation status.

The close contact said he believed the man had been out in the community in the past week.

He said posts on social media that were sharing the news articles about the case were "hearsay and wrong".

"[There is] also the fact that the people need to know that he's been out and about in the community rather than isolating, as people think."

A woman speaking on behalf of the Napier Paper Plus store said they were told by the DHB that the case had visited the store on Monday, November 15, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

The store was open on Tuesday morning following a deep clean undertaken at the store's initiative. There were several customers in store after it reopened.

"We weren't advised that we needed to do a deep clean because it has been well over a week.

"However, I wanted our customers to feel safe so I did one anyway, purely for the fact I can't do anything about the last week but right this minute our store is clean."

Similarly, staff had been told by health officials they needed to stay home only if they began experiencing symptoms.

Asked if she was frustrated about the delayed notice, the woman said it made no difference, though, and they were just "trucking along".

She was concerned that people were going to avoid the store and felt a positive case in the region had been an "inevitability".

"It wasn't an if, it was a when," she said.

"Eventually, everywhere will be a location of interest at some point.

"We want to reassure our customers that we are doing the best for them."

Close contacts return negative results

No new Hawke's Bay cases were announced in Tuesday's count.

The case had three children at Onekawa School, but the children tested negative so there was not believed to be any risk at the school.

Two police officers who came into contact with the case are self-isolating, and received negative day-one tests, a spokesperson said.

Police were working with the Ministry of Health on the circumstances in which the Covid-positive person left Auckland for Napier.

A spokesperson for the DHB said its Public Health Unit had been working "constructively and with urgency" with the case to determine locations of interest and close contacts.

"The DHB understands there is a high level of anxiety in the community, but would like to reassure people that there is a good level of engagement from close contacts."

Wastewater sampling results for Hawke's Bay have so far returned negative Covid-19 results, with further testing under way.

TIMELINE:
November 14 – Case tested for Covid-19
Leaves Auckland, arrives in Hawke's Bay
November 15 – Visits Paper Plus, Hastings St, Napier (3.30pm-4.30pm)
Visits Big Barrel, Carlyle St, Napier (6pm-7pm)
November 17 – Notified of positive Covid-19 result, contacted by Healthline and begins isolating in Hawke's Bay
November 20 – Case announced by Hawke's Bay District Health Board after being contacted by a family member of the case
Case moved to isolate at Kennedy Park Resort in Napier
November 21 – Case confirmed but included in Auckland tally*
November 22 – Locations of interest announced
* As the test was conducted and confirmed in Auckland it remains part of its tally and there are no active cases listed in Hawke's Bay on the Ministry of Health website. The case, however, remains in isolation at Kennedy Park Resort in Napier.