There were 16 new Covid-19 cases - including a flight crew member - to report in New Zealand over the past four days, all of them in managed isolation, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
There are no new cases in the community but there is one historical case in the community from seven months ago which has now been confirmed.
The Ministry of Health detailed the new cases as follows:
One case arrived in New Zealand on December 17 from the United States, where they tested positive on day seven after being named a close contact of another case on the same flight. They are now in quarantine in a facility in Christchurch.
Three cases - one on December 19, and a pair on December 20 - arrived from India via the United Arab Emirates, where they all tested positive during routine day three testing. They have all since been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
Two further cases, travelling separately, arrived on December 20 from India via the United Arab Emirates, and tested positive on routine day three testing. Both people have now been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case, an air flight support crew member, arrived on December 22 from France, and tested positive following routine day two testing has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility. One close contact has been identified and that person has returned a negative result and is in self-isolation.
Two cases arrived on December 21 from the United States, and tested positive at routine day three testing. Both have been transferred to quarantine in a facility in Christchurch.
One case arrived on December 22 from Pakistan via Qatar and Australia. The person was symptomatic and tested positive on day one. The person has been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case arrived on December 22 from Malaysia via the United Arab Emirates, where they tested positive at routine day three testing and has been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case arrived on December 22 from India via Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. The person tested positive at routine testing around day three and has been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case arrived on December 22 from India via the United Arab Emirates. The person tested positive at routine testing around day three. The person has been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case arrived on December 22. The last leg of their journey was from Singapore but their country of origin is yet to be confirmed. The person tested positive at routine day three testing and has now been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One case arrived on December 24 from India via the United Arab Emirates. The person was tested on day one as they were symptomatic. The person has been transferred to Auckland’s quarantine facility.
One historical case from May is now being confirmed after having been investigated. The person, based in Christchurch, returned a weak positive result in May, the Health Ministry said today in a press release.
The results from additional testing were inconclusive and it was determined the case was likely to be historical at time of diagnosis.
The person was a close contact of a family member who had recently returned from overseas and was in self-isolation at home as managed isolation facilities were yet to be established. The person was fully recovered in May and is now being recorded as a community case.
None of the new cases were the new, more contagious coronavirus variant that was first identified in the United Kingdom, before being detected in several other countries, including Australia, Japan, Canada, Denmark, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
On December 23, the Health Ministry announced that there were seven new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand over the preceding two days.
The Ministry of Health also confirmed 15 previously reported cases have now recovered, leavinging the total number of active cases in New Zealand at 50 as of today. New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases to date is 1,788.
The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,394,812.
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