Three new community COVID-19 cases have been detected in south Auckland, officials have confirmed.
What you need to know
- It was confirmed on Sunday afternoon there are three COVID-19 cases in the community - all in south Auckland from the same family
- Papatoetoe High School, where one of the cases attended, will be closed on Monday
- Two of the cases visited PaknSave Manukau on Friday and anyone who was in the store between 3:35pm and 5pm is advised to self-isolate, be alert for symptoms, get tested for COVID-19 and stay at home until a result has returned
- It comes after two COVID-19 cases were reported in managed isolation on Saturday.
1:45pm - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, currently in Auckland, will return to Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
1:40pm - Known locations the trio have visited include:
- Papatoetoe High School - the school will be closed on Monday as a result
- PaknSave Manukau, which is a potential exposure event. Two of the positive cases had short visits there for 10 minutes on Friday. Anyone who visited the store between 3:35pm and 5pm on that day should stay home and isolate, be alert for symptoms, get tested, and isolate until a result has returned
- Last weekend, potentially around the time of becoming symptomatic, two of the cases travelled to New Plymouth and visited tourist attractions - times, dates, and locations are to be confirmed.
1:38pm - The mother who was infected was last at her workplace at LSG Skychefs on February 5 and was not considered infectious when there, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.
Her daughter, who's also tested positive for COVID-19, attends Papatoetoe High School.
1:31pm - There are three community COVID-19 cases in south Auckland, all the same family, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed.
- Vaccine Soft Power: a CANZUK Strategy?
- NZ COVID Tracer app, messaging from health officials need an overhaul - software developer
- China won't hand over early COVID-19 data to WHO, which hasn't ruled out lab leak as source of pandemic
- COVID vaccine: Government preparing for possibility of annual COVID-19 jabs
All their positive tests came through on Saturday night and genome sequencing is underway.
The mother of the family works at LSG Skychefs and is regularly tested for COVID-19, due to being a border worker. She was initially tested when her and her daughter felt symptomatic.
It's understood a fourth household contact of the three cases has tested negative, Hipkins said.
Hipkins said he was informed of the cases early on Sunday morning.
1:27pm - COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General Health Ashley Bloomfield are due to speak to media. You can watch live in the video above.
1:14pm - The announcement of more community COVID-19 cases comes as New Zealand prepares for the biggest vaccination programme in the country's history.
Next week, border workers will receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the arrival of the Pfizer jab.
1:08pm - There were two new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Saturday and none in the community, bringing New Zealand's total active infections to 45.
A patient with COVID-19 had also died at North Shore Hospital, the Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday.
The ministry said the person who died had been transferred from managed isolation to hospital for treatment of a serious non-COVID related illness on February 5.
However, the patient subsequently tested positive for coronavirus.
The death has not yet been included in New Zealand's official COVID-19 death toll and more information was expected on Monday.
