Lift test rates for Covid-19 or risk a longer stay in lockdown, Auckland has been warned by Ashley Bloomfield
Aucklanders must boost flagging testing rates for Covid-19 to avoid a prolonged stay at Alert Level 4, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.
Bloomfield has also described the growing number of hospitalisations in New Zealand’s current Delta outbreak as “a stark reminder” of the virus’s risk, with 42 people now in hospital - six of those in intensive care.
At the Government’s daily Covid-19 update on Thursday, Bloomfield said there had been 49 new cases of Covid-19 in the last day, all of which were in Auckland. The overall number of cases connected with the outbreak is 736, 11 of which have already recovered from the virus.
While the daily numbers could continue to bounce around, there were positive signs that the Level 4 lockdown was working against the more infectious Delta strain, with a 95 percent probability the reproduction rate of the virus was now under one (meaning it would not continue to multiply).
Bloomfield said there were now 42 cases in hospital, all in Auckland, with six of those in an ICU or high-dependency unit and three being ventilated.
“The growing number of people in hospital is a stark reminder of the seriousness of infection with the Covid-19 virus. My thoughts are with those who are in hospital and indeed their whānau at what must be a stressful time for them.”
With just over 6700 swabs taken across the metropolitan Auckland region on Wednesday, he said higher testing levels were needed to provide officials with confidence the outbreak was under control.
“If you have symptoms, any symptoms at all, or have been at a location of interest or are a contact and should be tested, please do so.
“This is absolutely essential for our understanding of whether the outbreak is under control, and therefore having Auckland in Alert Level 4 for the shortest time possible.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the rolling daily average of new cases was declining, while there were also fewer cases that were infectious in the community.
Ardern confirmed Northland would move down to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm on Thursday as announced in principle on Monday, with wastewater testing in the region turning up no positive results.
