Fourty-two patients who were at Middlemore Hospital are now isolating after a woman who was asymptomatic and not vaccinated against Covid-19 tested positive for the virus after visiting the location.
The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said of the 42 people, 22 are isolating at the hospital, away from other patients, while the rest are doing the same at home. They were at the hospital's emergency department when the woman presented to hospital.
Of the group, 11 are considered close contacts and are required to isolate for 14 days and undertake three sets of swabs. Two of these close contacts are in isolation at Middlemore, while the third person is isolating under the guidance of public health officials.
The remainder are considered casual contacts and are required to self-monitor, self-isolate and be tested if symptomatic.
The Ministry of Health said late Thursday the woman had come to the hospital with a non-Covid related issue. She submitted to having a routine test taken.
However, she left before her Covid-19 test came back.
Bloomfield said the woman was now isolating and was being transferred to a quarantine facility on Friday.
He said contact tracers would be interviewing her on Friday to see if she had any links to known Covid-19 cases or exposure events.
“This is one of those small handfuls of cases we’re particularly concerned about finding what their link is to the existing outbreak,” he said.
Epidemiologist Michael Baker says the number of cases infectious in the community needs to reduce before shifting to Alert Level 3.
All staff who were in the emergency department and adult short-stay area were equipped in full PPE gear, including N95 face masks and goggles, Bloomfield said.
As such, the risk of exposure to staff is deemed low and none are being stood down.
Counties Manukau DHB's Peter Watson told Breakfast on Friday the woman left two hours after she went to hospital.
Watson pointed out asymptomatic cases are possible off the back of this.
He encouraged people in South Auckland to get tested if they had symptoms or had been to a location of interest .
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