Household contact of Covid-19 infected MIQ cleaner returns 'weak positive' test

March 23, 2021

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins say there’s “low risk to the community”.

There is one   Covid-19 case to report in New Zealand today, the  worker at a managed isolation facility reported yesterday evening , and one weak positive result. 

The weak positive result is part of the MIQ worker's household. 

The news was confirmed in a press conference with the Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins and the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

The managed isolation facility worker announced last night - dubbed Case A - worked as a cleaner at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland. They tested positive for the virus during routine surveillance testing. 

The Ministry of Health said last night the person was asymptomatic. They and their immediate household members are currently isolated at their Auckland home.

A family contact of an isolation hotel worker with Covid-19 has returned a weak positive and is being retested.

Three people in Case A's household have returned negative results, and one person is "under investigation" because they returned a weak negative result, Hipkins said.

Bloomfield said Case A went to work yesterday while asymptomatic and while wearing a mask. They did not work in the three days prior to yesterday. Two people who worked closely with Case A yesterday are now isolating.

Bloomfield said there is one confirmed location of interest: Mount Roskill Countdown. Case A was there for 10 minutes on March 20.

Further details and times will be announced later this afternoon on the Ministry of Health's website.

People who were at the supermarket at the time are asked to be vigilant of Covid-19 symptoms.

Hipkins said there was "low risk to the community". 

In a January review of the Grand Millennium Auckland MIQ facility, Hipkins said there were only "mild to moderate" improvements required, and "nothing" that "rang any alarm bells".

In the month of March, there had been eight Covid-19 cases detected in the facility - all picked up on day 0/1 testing.

Case A received both jabs of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine - their first dose on February 23 and their second on March 16. Their household contacts had not yet been vaccinated, Bloomfield said.

Bloomfield said protection from the Pfizer vaccine comes after a period of seven days after a person's last dose. 

He said authorities were "continually" looking at the protection the vaccine could offer, and remained confident it was "highly effective". 

There are also three other Covid-19 cases to report in MIQ, and one historical case. 

It brings New Zealand's total Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic to 2112. 

Since yesterday, one more case has recovered, bringing the country's active number of cases to 68. 

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