There were five new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, moving to alert level 1 is still some way off and a Retail NZ report shows business confidence has taken a hammering.
Photo: 123RF / RNZ
Five new cases of Covid-19 were identified today - three in the community and two in managed isolation.
At the daily briefing, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the three community cases were all epidemiologically linked to the Mt Roskill Evangelical church, which has been genomically linked to the Auckland cluster.
All of these cases were identified as close contacts and were already in self-isolation, he said.
The two imported cases were detected at the managed isolation facility at the Rydges Hotel in Rotorua via routine testing around day three. The first case is a woman in her 30s who arrived from Dubai on 28 August and the second is a child who arrived from Uzbekistan via Dubai the same day.
Both cases have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility with other members of their bubble.
There are seven people with Covid-19 in hospital - five in wards and two in intensive care.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1406. There were 10,943 Covid-19 tests processed yesterday, bringing the total to 777,560.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins told the briefing that the source of the Auckland cluster was still unknown describing it as a puzzle.
Targets set for Covid-19 testing of 10,000 tests per day - 70,000 over seven days - with about two-thirds of those in Auckland have "more or less been hit," he said.
Air crews who fly in and out of the country will undergo tougher restrictions to lower the risk of Covid coming back in with them.
Alert level 1 still a distant prospect in NZ
Health officials have not yet considered moving the country to alert level 1.
Cabinet Ministers will meet on Friday to review the alert level settings, which are set to expire on Sunday.
Auckland is at alert level 2.5, which means there are tighter restrictions on mass gatherings. The same rules do not apply for the rest of the country, which is at alert level 2.
At a Health Select Committee meeting this morning, New Zealand First MP Jenny Marcroft asked what criteria were being considered to move the country down to alert level 1.
Hipkins said there could still be cases in the community at the lowest two alert levels, as long as they were contained.
"We [Cabinet] haven't yet considered any advice on a shift from level two to level one," Hipkins said.
Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said officials were not yet considering moving Auckland and the rest of the country to alert level 1.
Instead, the focus was on moving Auckland from alert level 2.5 to 2.
See all RNZ coverage of Covid-19
Booklets touted as Covid app alternative
The government has announced paper booklets will be distributed from next week for those who do not have smart phones and so are unable to use the Covid tracer app.
The booklets will be distributed in packs of 10, and the government is asking community organisations to order copies to distribute.
Hipkins urged New Zealanders to keep track of their movements and said the booklet was for those not using the tracer app.
"Particularly senior citizens groups, those in other parts of the community where technology may not be as appropriate or as readily taken up."
Retailer survival 'on a knife edge'
Business confidence has taken a hammering since the return of Covid-19 to New Zealand, according to a new report from Retail NZ.
Retail NZ's August survey showed 90 percent of retailers with stores in Auckland reported a drop in sales and the super city's lockdown had hit businesses around the country - with 53 percent of stores outside Auckland experiencing a sales drop.
Adding to the grim outlook was 13 percent of retailers saying they weren't confident their businesses would survive the next 12 months. Another 23 percent said they were on a knife edge and it could go either way.
It is not just about the number of people buying products - getting goods on the shelf from overseas was proving difficult for 73 percent of businesses surveyed.
Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said the biggest problem seemed to be at international shipping ports.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
UK study reveals higher risk from Covid-19 for pregnant women
A new study showing pregnant women are more at risk from Covid-19 is a reminder of the need for expert health care, a New Zealand women's health expert says.
The study published today in the British Medical Journal showed pregnant women were at a higher risk from the effects of Covid-19 and were more likely to give birth early.
They were less likely to have symptoms, but more likely to need intensive care.
More than 11,000 women were part of the study from an international team of researchers.
The research project based at the University of Birmingham said maternal risk factors associated with severe Covid-19 increased with age, high body mass index, chronic high blood pressure, and pre-existing diabetes.
Professor Bev Lawton said that was no real surprise, but served as a reminder of the need for women to access regular care, particularly at a time when there was greater reluctance to head out of the house.
"Women should be interacting as early in their pregnancy as possible with their midwife of their GP.
People who tested negative for Covid-19 in India were positive on arrival in NZ
Five people who tested positive for Covid-19 in New Zealand's isolation facilities had negative results before leaving India.
The five new cases detected in isolation yesterday stayed at an isolation hotel in New Delhi for three days, before their flight to Christchurch - and were all tested before being allowed on the plane.
Rohit Sharma was on the flight from India via Fiji, which landed in Christchurch on 27 August.
Along with fellow passengers, he had been in quarantine in New Delhi, where everyone was required to be tested for Covid-19.
"Those who [tested] positive weren't able to catch that flight, only those who had a negative Covid test boarded," he told RNZ's First Up.
It came as a big surprise to Sharma that five of those who were on the plane with him returned positive Covid tests once in New Zealand.
"They went through the New Delhi airport. They may have been in contact with someone there, or maybe they have used washrooms," he said.
"Everyone had a mask on, but we still can't say where they caught this virus."
