A sibling and the mother of a Papatoetoe High School student, who was a casual plus contact of the recent Auckland community cases, have tested positive for Covid-19.
Pak n Save Manukau is one of the locations of interest. Photo: Google Maps
The Ministry of Health confirmed the sibling's case in an update in the evening, and the second case in a subsquent briefing at 9pm.
Papatoetoe High School was due to reopen this Monday after having to close for cleaning and contact tracing when the first student of the recent cases tested positive on 14 February.
The first case reported today developed symptoms on Tuesday 23 February, and is regarded as being potentially infectious from Sunday 21 February.
The person is a student at Manukau Institute of Technology, and works part-time for Kerry Logistics (Oceania) Limited at the Auckland Airport, for one day a week. They were tested yesterday and the result was received this afternoon.
Affected MIT students have been emailed.
The case had also returned from overseas in December 2020 and completed 14 days in managed isolation with three negative tests. Ministry officials do not believe the travel is linked to the case's current infection - which is acute and highly likely to be linked to the current Auckland cluster.
Their sibling - who is a high school student - had returned three recent negative tests and is asymptomatic, the ministry said.
Public health officials are undertaking interviews to help establish how this new case was infected.
The household has five people and testing was undertaken in the evening, the ministry said. All are isolating.
Three preliminary results have so far come back negative, while one for the mother has come back positive. She is currently asymptomatic.
Genome sequencing is also underway and expected later tonight. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says this will help identify and confirm a possible link to the current cluster.
As a result of the new case, Auckland is moving to alert level 3 on Sunday morning, and the rest of the country up to level 2.
Locations of interest
A number of locations of interest, which will be available on the ministry's website, will be updated progressively from this evening.
People who were at these locations of interest should isolate for 14 days and if symptoms develop, get tested.
Four have been identified so far:
- City Fitness in Hunter Plaza - members have been advised by email directly from the gym of the time and day of interest
- Hunter Plaza (26 February) 2.55pm - 5pm
- Burger King Highland Park (25 February) 8pm-9pm
- Your Health Pharmacy (23 February) 2.45pm - 3.50pm
- Pak n Save Manukau (21 February) 5.30pm - 6.40pm
For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit Auckland Regional Public Health Service's website and all testing locations nationwide, visit the Healthpoint website.
Additional community testing centres are available in Auckland this weekend, with extended hours. These are in Ōtara, Botany, Pakuranga Heights, Balmoral, Henderson and Northcote.
In East Auckland, a CTC at Lloyd Elsmore Park, Pakuranga Heights, will be open from 8am-4pm Sunday.
The Botany CTC at Golflands will be open from 9am-5pm Sunday.
The ministry is urging people to only call Healthline if they were potentially exposed.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
This is an official government COVID-19 announcement.
From 28 February, the Auckland region moves to Covid-19 Alert Level 3. The rest of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2. This is for a period of seven days. Further community cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the Auckland Region. If you are in Auckland, stay home where possible, and follow Alert Level 3 guidelines. This will stop the transmission of Covid-19 and save lives. For more information on the alert levels go to covid19.govt.nz.
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