126 community cases, 107 of them in Auckland

MINISTRY OF HEALTH UPDATE

November 2, 2021  

There were 27,473 vaccines administered yesterday, taking New Zealand’s vaccination rate to 88 per cent for first doses and 76% for second doses – representing 3,179,817 fully vaccinated New Zealanders.

Getting vaccinated will help to stop people from becoming seriously ill from Covid-19 and will save lives.

New cases identified at the border

*Today’s cases
Two community cases reported yesterday were incorrectly classified and have been removed from the total community case count and added to the cases at the border.
One previously reported community case has been confirmed as a historical case.
One case was an MIQ worker which has been classified as a community case after investigation.

**The number of cases here may sometimes differ from those reported the previous day due to a difference in reporting timeframes and reclassifications.

Northland update
There is one new case to report in Kaitaia in Northland today, who is a household member of the Northland case announced yesterday. This brings the region’s total number of cases to 14, with three people now recovered.

All of the cases in Northland are isolating at home with public health oversight.

Public Health interviews continue to identify new locations of interest and we do ask people in Northland to check the Ministry’s locations of interest webpage regularly, which is updated throughout the day. Each location of interest has corresponding advice.

Anyone in Northland who has any symptoms that could be Covid-19 is urged to get a test and remain at home until you receive a negative test result. Testing today is available at the following locations:

Kaitaia Hospital (via the driveway by the car compound) – 9am to 4pm
Rawene Hospital, Honey Street – 9am to 2pm
Kerikeri, 1 Sammaree Place – 9am to 4pm
Ôhaeawai Rugby Clubrooms – 9am to 5pm
Dargaville Hospital – 9am to 3pm
Whangârei – 20 Winger Crescent – 9am to 4pm
Kaiwaka – Three Furlongs – 10am to 2pm

There were 1125 tests processed throughout Northland yesterday and 1161 vaccinations given.

Auckland update
Testing numbers across Auckland remain strong and public health staff are focusing on testing in areas with higher positivity rates.

People who have symptoms, no matter how mild, are being asked to get a test, especially if they live in the suburbs of Redvale, Rosedale, New Lynn, Wiri, Drury, Henderson and Manurewa. Even if people are vaccinated, they should get a test if they have symptoms that might be Covid-19.

There are 18 community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today. For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

In Auckland, public health officials are now supporting 582 cases to safely isolate at home.

The safety and security of individuals with Covid-19 and their families remains paramount when people are isolating at home with public health oversight. If people can’t safely isolate at home they may be moved to a managed isolation or quarantine facility.

Auckland care home
Two further staff members at Edmonton Meadows care home in Henderson have now tested positive for Covid-19.

The total number of active cases is now 12.
 
Today a mobile testing unit will be at the care home for further testing for the residents and staff of the care home.

Two of the Covid-19 -positive residents are receiving appropriate ward-level care at North Shore Hospital.

The care home continues to operate under Alert Level 3 guidelines for visitors, meaning people have only been able to visit the facility on compassionate grounds.    

As the source of the infection in the facility remains unknown, Whole Genome Sequencing is underway.

Corrections facilities
The Ministry is also aware of a small number of Covid-19 cases in Auckland in Corrections custody.

These people were exposed to Covid-19 prior to coming into custody and are being managed appropriately to avoid any potential for the virus to spread to the prison population. There is no evidence of in-facility transmission to date.

The Department of Corrections has controls in place to minimise risks relating to the transmission of Covid-19, including health screening, separating all newly arrived prisoners for their first 14 days, testing prisoners for Covid-19 on days 0, 5, and 12, and isolating suspected and confirmed cases.

Nationwide, 67 per cent of prisoners have received their first dose and 50 per cent are fully vaccinated. The prison population changes daily due to arrests and releases, and Corrections is carrying out significant work to encourage prisoners to be vaccinated.

Since the start of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, more than 500 people who have been released from custody have also been fully vaccinated while in prison. Meanwhile, 81 percent of prison-based staff have received their first dose and 66 percent are fully vaccinated.
 
Waikato update
Waikato confirmed a further 18 cases overnight, with six in Hamilton, five in Te Awamutu/Kihikihi, four in Ôtorohanga, two in Ngâruawahia, and one in Kawhia. All cases have been epidemiologically linked.
 
Public Health have confirmed that 14 were known contacts of previous cases and were already in isolation and in daily contact with Public Health.
 
A number of Waikato locations of interest have been identified in recent days and we encourage people to continue checking the Ministry of Health website for those locations.
 
As well as the permanent testing site in Hamilton, there are six pop-up testing sites operating today across the region today in Huntly, Ngâruawahia, Ôtorohanga, Te Awamutu and Hamilton.
 
Anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms is asked to get tested, no matter how mild their symptoms may be. This advice is the same even if people are vaccinated.
 
There were 1430 tests processed throughout Waikato today and 2,401 vaccinations given.

Christchurch update
There are no new cases to report again in Christchurch today. There are still the 4 active cases who are in quarantine and 22 Locations of Interest in Canterbury – no new locations have been added in recent days.

Test results from additional wastewater samples collected in Christchurch are expected tomorrow.

To respond to the increase in demand for testing, Canterbury DHB has increased its testing capacity – with additional staff, extended operating hours at some testing centres and a pop-up Covid-19 community testing centre operating on Wednesday and Thursday this week (3 and 4 November) at the New Brighton Club.  This will be both a drive through and walk up clinic and will be open each day from 10am to 4pm.

The testing options available in the community currently provide adequate capacity throughout the region. Testing and vaccination sites are available across Canterbury today. Please see the Canterbury DHB website for site locations and hours.

Due to the recently reported cases in Canterbury, the Ministry encourages everyone in Canterbury, especially those in Christchurch with any symptoms, no matter how mild, gets tested.

Yesterday there were 4345 Covid-19 vaccinations provided in Canterbury – 1170 first doses, 3160 second doses and 15 third doses.

Investigations into the case in Tonga continue there, including determining whether the person is a possible historical case.