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wonder how quick they can determine which variant it is (ie if its one of those more contagious ones)
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I've been saying for years we should cut off Northland from the rest of the country.
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@Smudge dont think we have any Covid Hotels up here, so caught it in someone elses hood!
I know they are unlikely to do this, but providing a false test in the media to trigger people into taking this thing seriously wouldnt be a bad idea!
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@taniwharugby assuming they did get the 3 day test -- and possibly got a pre-flight test as well.
Could mean they caught it late in the quarantine period.
Well, let's see how it goes this afternoon
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@nzzp said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@voodoo said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
So this would be someone who passed the Day 12 tests I assume. Eek.
worse - it's someone linked to someone who passed the 12 day test.
Fark, summer coudl be about to be cancelled
Have both not tested positive? Just the non-quarantined person???
That IS worse!!!
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Covid 19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there was not yet any evidence of actual community "transmission" in Northland. "It's still most likely this is a border case."
Hopefully this person self isolated the moment they started feeling ill.
I guess one positive (for those not in Northland) is that it would be easier to put Northland into a higher level than most other areas in NZ (aside from putting one of the islands into a higher level)
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
Covid 19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there was not yet any evidence of actual community "transmission" in Northland. "It's still most likely this is a border case."
Hopefully this person self isolated the moment they started feeling ill.
I guess one positive (for those not in Northland) is that it would be easier to put Northland into a higher level than most other areas in NZ (aside from putting one of the islands into a higher level)
Northland has been pretty enthusiastic about trying to stop the virus taking root there (if the press coverage was to be believed). Hopefully this can be squashed ASAP
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Trying to read something positive from this, is that it is apparently Hipkins who will be fronting the briefing today at 4, I expect if we were in for a major change of level, Jacinda would be fronting it.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins will provide an update at 4pm.
Objective must be to avoid lockdown, ACT's Seymour says
The ACT party has released a statement about today's probable community case. Here's what party leader David Seymour said:
“If today’s probable case of Covid-19 in Northland turns out to be community transmission the Government’s overarching objective must be avoiding another lockdown,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“The best news would be that this is a false alarm, but if it’s not then a number of things have to happen very quickly to protect the community.
“First, mass testing will need to be rolled out. How soon can this be in place? Is the resource standing by to rapidly put in place the infrastructure for mass testing in the region?
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have heard about long queues in NOrth SHore supermarkets...
So south of whangarei including mangawhai, dargaville to helensville are where she had been, but by all accounts she was meticulous with her app use
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
have heard about long queues in NOrth SHore supermarkets...
So south of whangarei including mangawhai, dargaville to helensville are where she had been, but by all accounts she was meticulous with her app use
Thankfully, imagine if she wasn't.
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@booboo said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
Quick. Get all the toilet paper.
Surely it's been shown you don't need a lock down for a small leak.
Sydney managed it. Vic got some community cases as a result and didn't lock down. Even QLD only went the 3 days in Brisbane only.
We didn't lock down last time either
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For who wants to know. This is from the media conference this afternoon:
The "case" is a 56 year old woman, who had travelled from NZ to Spain where she travelled for about 4 months (and possibly worked) and then to the Netherlands (where she stayed with family), late last year. All her family members in the NL were well at the time, but subsequently one or two of them tested positive.
The woman travelled back to NZ from London, where she stayed in an airport hotel. She travelled via Singapore and arrived in Auckland on the 30th of December. During her 14 days in managed isolation (at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland) she returned two negative tests on the 2nd and 10th of January. She didn't have symptoms at the time. She left managed isolation on the 13th of January.
She lives with one other person, her husband (who has no symptoms, is awaiting test results and is isolating). As is routine follow-up (people are called 3 to 5 days after leaving managed isolation), the woman was called on the 16th of January. At that time, she didn't report any symptoms, but after being interviewed she said that she started feeling very mild symptoms on the 15th of January, which got progressively worse. Those first symptoms were some muscle aches, which she didn't associate with Covid because she had just been through managed isolation and had tested negative twice. Once she recognised that her symptoms were getting worse, she got tested and isolated. The result came back late last evening (Saturday). The CT value suggests that it is a new case (not historic), but they're doing the serology to be sure.
Origin and strain of the infection are still under investigation. Genome sequencing and second PCR test are underway. That can take 24 hours. This is to establish the variant of the virus and any links with other people staying in the same MIQ at the same time. They're not ruling anything out, but it's unlikely to be a long incubation period (meaning that she could have been infected before travelling to NZ). However, genome sequencing would be able to establish whether there's a link with her infected family members in the Netherlands. There were about 13 positive cases detected in the Pullman at the time, including some with the more transmissible variants.
Although the case still has to be confirmed, they are working from the assumption that it is a positive case and a more transmissible variant.
After release from managed isolation, the woman travelled around in the Southern part of the Northland region with her husband. That's also the area where she lives (Mangawhai-Dargaville, but she's also been as far south as Helensville). Thorough interviews have revealed just 4 close contacts, who are being spoken to, tested and isolated. These interviews will determine whether these people also have close contacts (who will be isolated and tested). The net will be cast wide, to catch any possible community transmission. This is precautionary.
The woman has visited roughly 30 locations in the 5 days after she left managed isolation. The woman kept a good record of her movements: she used the Covid Tracer app and had bluetooth turned on, so they have been able to quickly establish where she has been. The relevant businesses (retail, restaurants, cafes, a tourist attraction, airbnb's) are being contacted and as soon as that has happened, details will be put on the Ministry's website and send out push notifications to people who've been there (and have used the app). People who have been in those locations should isolate and call Healthline to find the right time to get a test (advice is 5 days after possible exposure). There will be extra testing stations in Northland, esp the southern part.
At the moment, the relevant MBIE team is reviewing the CCTV footage of the Pullman Hotel (of the relevant period); everyone who has left the Pullman after staying there at the same time, is being contacted and asked to take a test and isolate until they get a negative result (that's over 600 people!). The airlines she used to travel to NZ will be contacted, too.
The woman is currently still staying at home. It hasn't been decided yet, but it's possible that she will do her quarantine at home, because this is a person who was very cooperative and compliant during managed isolation and was very diligent in recording where she has been since, social distancing, and use of masks etc.
Too early to speculate about response options such as alert levels. Standard recommendations are reiterated: if you have symptoms, get a test and isolate until you have the results; scan QR codes wherever you can and turn on bluetooth, wash your hands etc.
About the vaccine: biggest constraint is getting the vaccine into the country. Approval of the vaccine by Medsafe is expected before the vaccine arrives. More on the vaccine will be known this week.
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@booboo said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
Quick. Get all the toilet paper.
Surely it's been shown you don't need a lock down for a small leak.
Sydney managed it. Vic got some community cases as a result and didn't lock down. Even QLD only went the 3 days in Brisbane only.
Sydney had an area(s) specific lockdown, which is basically what NZ did last time wasn't it with Auckland?
Coronavirus - New Zealand