WELLINGTON, Oct 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand reported 29 new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the community today, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country’s community outbreak to 1,448.
Twenty-four of the new infections were recorded in the largest city Auckland, and five cases in nearby Waikato, Director of Public Health, Caroline McElnay, said.
Thirty-two community cases are being treated in hospitals, including four in intensive care units (ICUs) or high dependency units (HDUs), McElnay said.
There are 1,403 cases that are clearly epidemiologically linked to another case or sub-cluster, and a further 23 cases for which links are yet to be fully established, she said.
New Zealand also reported two cases in recent returnees, identified at the border. The cases have remained in quarantine in Auckland, McElnay said.
The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand since the start of the pandemic stands currently at 4,122, according to the health ministry.
A roadmap was announced by Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, on Monday, for Auckland to carefully move out of the current COVID-19 restrictions.
Ardern said, Alert Levels 3 and 4 restrictions in Auckland, helped curb the Delta outbreak in the past seven weeks and provide time for New Zealanders to get their vaccinations.
Based on public health advice, the cabinet confirmed its three-step plan to transition Auckland out of current restrictions “carefully and methodically” with regular check-ins.
Schools are advised to be able to return, after the current school holidays on Oct 18, with the final decision to be made on that, closer to the time, she said.
The “careful and methodical transition plan” for Auckland will see a more highly vaccinated population, at the end of the three steps, with the use of vaccine certificates in the pipeline, to deal with riskier settings, such as large-scale events, Ardern said.
Meanwhile, from Nov 1, the government requires all non-New Zealand citizens, aged over 17 years, to be fully vaccinated before entering the country. However, they still need to be quarantined in a managed isolation facility upon arrival, said COVID-19 Response Minister, Chris Hipkins.– NNN-AGENCIES
