7 New COVID-19 Cases In 2 Days In Managed Isolation

here are seven new cases of COVID-19 to report in managed isolation in New Zealand since our last media statement on Monday.
There are no new cases in the community.
Of the new border cases:

One previously reported case is now regarded as under investigation as a possible historical case. This case was first reported on Sunday as having arrived from the USA on 4 January.

This case is being removed from New Zealand’s tally while we investigate and await a second test result, due later this week.

21 cases have now recovered bringing the total number of active cases in New Zealand to 62. Our total number of confirmed cases is 1,872.

The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,448,199.

On Monday, 2,187 tests were processed and yesterday there were 4,847 tests processed. The seven-day rolling average up to yesterday is 3,729 tests processed.

NZ COVID Tracer

NZ COVID Tracer now has 2,439,100 registered users.

Poster scans have reached 151,801,799 and users have now created more than 6,127,918 manual diary entries.

“The goal of the NZ COVID Tracer app is to help people record their visits and help to support contact tracers in tracing potential close and casual contacts,” says Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health.

The addition of the Bluetooth function just before Christmas also adds an extra layer of precaution. Turning on the Bluetooth functionality will allow you to receive an alert if you have been near another app user who tests positive for COVID-19.

“We can’t afford to get complacent – especially given the increasing numbers of new cases we’re seeing in many other countries. We’ve seen how quickly the virus can spread. We all have a responsibility to support contact tracing by keeping a record of our movements, either with the app or by another method such as a diary.

“When someone tests positive for COVID-19, the faster they can provide contact tracers with information about where they’ve been, the faster contact tracers can get ahead of the virus and break the chain of transmission,” says Dr Bloomfield.

“It’s incredibly important we all scan the QR codes wherever we see them, as the more we all scan, the safer we’ll all be. If you can’t scan then please keep a record of where you have been. The NZ COVID Tracer app is one way to do this through the manual entry option."

Taking a few seconds to scan in with the app or to record where you have been means we can quickly inform you when you may have been exposed to the virus, so you can take steps to protect yourself and others.

“Make summer unstoppable – scan, scan, scan.”

Ministry of Health updates

The Ministry will continue to provide updates about cases and actions taken in response.

The frequency of reporting continues to reflect the routine nature of the cases appearing at the border in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities.

The next release will be on Friday.

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