There are two new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand today.

Both are cases in the community and both have epidemiological links to the Auckland cluster. 

One new case is a household contact of a previously confirmed case associated with the Finance Now workplace. 

The other new case is associated with an existing Tokoroa case.

This new case was reported yesterday evening and is a healthcare worker who works at a medical centre in Tokoroa. It is believed they came into contact with the existing case on 17 August. 

As per usual protocols, a test was carried out following exposure which returned a negative result. The positive result was picked up on a second test when the person became unwell.

The medical centre they work at is closed pending further contact tracing and is  undergoing a deep clean.   The centre had been operating under Level 4 precautions with PPE use, telehealth and patient screening.

The potentially infectious period for this case was between 25 – 27 August. The case, who lives alone and has no household contacts, has been in isolation since 27 August.

Contact tracing is actively underway which includes contacting staff and patients of the medical centre.   Two testing sites are available in Tokoroa today. The first is at Tokoroa Hospital and is open until 3pm. The second is at South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services and is open until 5pm. 

If you are in Tokoroa and have concerns about whether you need to be tested, please contact Healthline (0800 358 5453) or your doctor and have a test if it is offered.

Since 11 August, our contact tracing team have identified 2,587 close contacts of cases, of which 2,475 have been contacted and are self-isolating, and we are in the process of contacting the rest. 

There are 138 people linked to the community cluster who have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, which includes 86 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their household contacts.

There are 10 people with COVID-19 in hospital today; two in Auckland City, three in Middlemore, three in North Shore and two in Waikato. Eight people are on a ward, and two are in ICU – one each in Middlemore and Waikato Hospitals.

There are two previously reported cases who are considered to have recovered today. With today’s two new cases, this means our total number of active confirmed cases remains at 136, plus one previously reported probable case remains active. Of the 137 active cases, 20 are imported cases in MIQ facilities, and 117 are community cases.

Our total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now 1,378, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.

Testing

Yesterday our laboratories processed 10,487 tests for COVID-19, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 750,808. 

Widespread testing remains a critical part of eliminating COVID-19 in our communities. 

Our advice remains - if you develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, wherever you are, contact Healthline (0800 358 5453) or your doctor immediately and have a test.

Details about where to get tested both in Auckland and in the rest of the country are on the Ministry’s website.

If you are offered a test for COVID-19, please take it. 

To help speed the testing process - it's helpful to have your National Health Index (NHI) number with you — see information on how to find your NHI number.

A COVID-19 test is free of charge. However, you may need to pay for a test if it’s for the purpose of entering another country — see advice for travellers.

NZ COVID Tracer

NZ COVID Tracer has now recorded 1,940,800 registered users. 

There have been 336,785 posters created, and 25,954,068 poster scans to date. 

There have been 1,952,559 manual diary entries recorded in the app. 

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