New community Covid-19 case in Hamilton, linked to Pullman Hotel

February 6, 2021

The person tested negative multiple times before their positive result yesterday.

A new community case of Covid-19 has been announced in Hamilton, linked to the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.

In an update today, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said the case, who had recently returned from overseas, was asymptomatic and had been isolating at home since leaving the Pullman Hotel on January 30. 

It comes nearly two weeks after a community case was confirmed in Northland, also linked to the Pullman. The Pullman has been used as a managed isolation facility.

They tested negative for Covid-19 three times before testing positive, the most recent test being carried out on February 4.

McElnay said the positive test was picked up on day five outside of managed isolation.

She said today's new case was in managed isolation on January 16 to January 30, returning two negative Covid-19 tests during their stay. A further test on February 2, after they were released and the Northland case was discovered, also came back negative. A test on February 4 came back positive yesterday afternoon.

She said while early PCR results showed a high CT value, which may indicate a historical case, a further rapid test indicated the case was active. Further tests are underway.

Whole genome sequencing has also been carried out to determine if the case has the South African Covid-19 variant, which was reported in four other cases linked to the Pullman Hotel.

McElnay said the person had stayed on the same floor as "some of the other cases," but said health officials are "really looking at the timelines here.

The Auckland isolation hotel has housed three people who this week tested positive after returning to the community.

"What we've seen in the other cases is the cases were dispersed across the hotel, and it was more their being in the same room at the same place at the same time, rather than being in the same place," she said. 

McElnay said the person lives in Hamilton with two other people, who are being treated as close contacts. Both were tested and have returned negative results.

She said the person wore a face mask in communal areas of the house and isolated away from household contacts.

Further interviews with household contacts will help officials determine if there are any locations of interest.

"Based on our current assessment of the circumstances, we consider the public health risk to be low, and people in and around Hamilton should not be alarmed," she said.

"We are acting out of an abundance of caution. We are not advising any restrictions or cancellations of events."

The person has since been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.

"We have been investigating the systems in place at the Pullman managed isolation facility, and this latest case will be part of the ongoing work we will be doing," she said.

"The last remaining quests in the Pullman managed isolation facility are due to leave tomorrow, and we will update on the decisions on those guests when further results are available."

The Ministry of Health said today in a statement that "all recent Pullman managed isolation guests have been required to self-isolate for five days following completion of their 14 days in managed isolation".

"The case reinforces the importance of the self-isolation and repeat testing strategy we have adopted around people leaving managed isolation at the Pullman."

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate told 1 NEWS the person is being considered low risk.

It's led to the cancellation of a community Waitangi Day event, due to be hosted this morning at the Western Community Centre.

The case is now the fifth person to test positive after isolating at the Pullman Hotel and testing negative for Covid-19 multiple times during their stay, only testing positive after re-entering the community.


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