There are 11 new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation in New Zealand today, with none in the community, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
One case arrived on Friday from Italy via Singapore and tested positive in routine day one testing.
The remaining 10 cases arrived into New Zealand on the same flight from India via the UAE on Saturday and tested positive in routine day 0 testing.
“Additional testing including whole genome sequencing will help indicate whether any of the cases are related,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Interviews, and where indicated, further testing will help to determine whether any of these cases are historical. Data tells us that since the beginning of the year at least one in eight Covid-19 cases is historical."
The ministry also said today’s case numbers highlights the value of day zero or one testing being in place with people remaining in their rooms until those test results are returned.
The ministry also said its investigation into the "day 12" case at the Grand Mercure managed isolation facility in Auckland is continuing.
As of 9am, 236 of the 272 returnees at the facility had been contacted, with one person returning a positive result. That result is being classified as a historical infection on the basis of further testing and serology results.
“The total number of returnees in this group has increased as further returnees take an exit test and isolate at home until the test has returned a negative result. The assessment was that this additional step was needed until today, and it has now been lifted for anyone leaving the facility from now on,” the ministry said in a statement.
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