The only person in New Zealand who’s been hospitalised after being confirmed as having the Covid-19 coronavirus has been discharged and is now at home with their family.
But this morning, Health Minister Dr David Clark told TVNZ1's Breakfast he was aware the release was "imminent".
It's the latest communication confusion involving Dr Clark and the Ministry of Health around the coronavirus.
Last week, there was confusion about the number of cases.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, confirmed a third case, who caught it from another family member.
But that family member wasn't included in the official case count because they were never tested.
The fifth confirmed case was also linked to the same family member, who still hasn't been added to the official case count and is understood to have tested negative for the virus.
Today a Ministry of Health spokesperson told 1 NEWS New Zealand's only hospitalised Covid-19 patient - a woman in her 60s who had arrived from Iran - was discharged yesterday.
On Breakfast this morning, host John Campbell asked Dr Clark about the reports she had been released the day before.
Dr Clark said that wasn't the case.
"My understanding is the release is imminent and they continue to improve," he said.
To add to the confusion, another woman - being treated for a respiratory illness, but not officially diagnosed as the coronavirus - was also released from hospital yesterday.
Health officials have said she's been treated as a probable case and dozens of staff at North Shore Hospital have gone into isolation as a result.
She is not included in the official five-case tally.
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