The spread of coronavirus within the community “isn’t inevitable”, but more sporadic cases are likely, Health Minister Dr David Clark said today.
There are currently five confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Zealand so far, including one woman who had recently returned to the country from Iran, a man and woman who had returned from Italy, and a man and a woman whose family member had recently returned from Iran.
All five confirmed cases are based in the Auckland area.
Speaking to TVNZ1's Q+A this morning, Dr Clark stressed the importance of maintaining checks at the border and that people who are at risk of having the illness are self-isolating.
“In Australia, they’ve got more than 60 cases. In Germany, they’re jumping up a couple hundred at a time, and that means when those people are travelling, it’s going to spread further in the world," he told host Jack Tame.
"As a country, that means we need to redouble our efforts, make sure at the borders we are giving people the information they need; making sure that people that are at risk, coming from the hotspots, are self-isolating; doing those things we know work via the evidence that we’ve got from scientific experts.
“The evidence of within family contact being the key vector – 80 per cent of cases – that tells us that actually, that’s the most likely way people are going to pick it up, and if they’re following the health advice, doing the right things, if they notice the symptoms of cough, cold-like symptoms, they’ve got a fever, anything like that, then making sure that they’re keeping to themselves."
Dr Clark said while "more sporadic cases" coming into the country is expected, the risk of a community outbreak is low "as long as we continue to take the steps we take”.
A woman in her 40's has tested positive for covid-19 with health officials saying there two more probable cases, with one of those forcing dozens of staff at North Shore Hospital into isolation. (Source: Other)
He also noted that there are currently no good predicting models to determine how many people the illness could infect should there be a community spread.
“It depends on individual responses and individual circumstances, and that’s why, as a country, we move so early. That’s brought us this extra time in putting those border restrictions in place," he says.
"We’ve got amongst the toughest restrictions in the world. That has certainly brought us time to prepare for these incursions we’ve been getting, and that means we’re better prepared than other countries."
Dr Clark said while a pandemic plan has been tested, it's unlikely more extreme measures - such as dedicated wings in hospitals - will be needed.
“We’ve got 263 negative pressure rooms in the country. We’re a long way from anywhere near there … At this stage, we are focused very heavily on keeping it out of New Zealand, and keeping those restrictions in place that have served us well thus far.”
A man with Covid-19 went to the sold-out Tool concert at Auckland’s Spark Arena on February 28. (Source: Other)
He also addressed concerns after a man who attended a rock concert by American band Tool while infected with coronavirus, saying he was at “low-risk” of spreading the illness.
“I know it’s not impossible that someone came into close contact or was at risk, and that’s why the public health officials have gone out there and said, ‘Here’s what happened at the concert.'
“You don’t want unnecessary panic, but you do want enough awareness that people can check themselves if they’re feeling a little bit unwell, stay home, call the GP ahead or the Healthline, get some advice.
"If that scenario did exist, we want people to be aware and to do the responsible thing.”
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