There are six new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, all of which are linked to the Mt Roskill “mini-cluster”, director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield says.

A baby boy and three other children are among the six cases.

The total number of cases linked to the mini-cluster – connected to the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship Church – is now 43. There is a sub-cluster of 14 within that which is linked to a funeral on September 2 and visits to the household of the bereaved.

All the close contacts, including all 48 people at the funeral, from those events are in isolation and are being tested.

Bloomfield said a member of the church’s congregation had unwittingly infected the sub-cluster during a visit to the home of the bereaved. The person had been tested but was still awaiting the result.

Four of today’s cases are linked to the bereaved family.

Bloomfield said the sub-cluster could push out the tail of the current outbreak by weeks – but that can be mitigated by quickly tracing and isolating the close contacts.

The size of the group associated with the Mt Roskill mini-cluster had grown by hundreds since it was first detected – there were 108 contacts identified with the bereavement sub-cluster alone.

He did not know how many people in the current outbreak had been infected in the community rather than while isolating, but he added that most of the infected cases had been household contacts.

“This grouping that’s appeared around this bereavement is the only additional tentacle from the Mt Roskill grouping.”

Many in the church group had already been tested, but Bloomfield was now asking all members of the fellowship to be retested – and even people associated with church members.

Bus driver tests positive
Two positive cases reported yesterday – a student from St Dominic’s Catholic School and a bus driver for the northern express bus service – are part of the sub-cluster.

The bus travels between the central city and at least as far as Albany.

The driver had worked on September 3 and 4, but was wearing a mask and gloves and didn’t have symptoms at that time.

There are no close contacts, but HOP card data is being used to identify passengers, who will be notified and should be tested if they develop symptoms.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service will reveal details of the bus journeys.

Bloomfield said all members of the school community will be tested because there could have been in contact in the corridors.