COVID-19

Eight further cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand

March 19, 2020 8:30 am

Eight further cases of the Covid-19 coronavrius have been confirmed in New Zealand, bringing the total to 28, says the Health Ministry.

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the eight new cases were all linked to overseas travel, meaning the coronavirus has not yet been transmitted in the community.

Two of the new cases are in Southland, two are in Taranaki, one is in Rotorua, one in Northland and two in Auckland.

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One of the new cases is in hospital and the rest are at home in self-isolation.

Close contacts will traced and contacted, Dr Bloomfield said.

“We are expecting more given the rapidly evolving situation overseas and the number of people who have returned to New Zealand if they are Kiwis or if they have come from other countries, from some of those hotspots.”

As Covid-19 spreads around the world, it can be daunting keeping up with the information. For RNZ, our responsibility is to give you verified, up to the minute, trustworthy information to help you make decisions about your lives and your health. We’ll also be asking questions of officials and decision makers about how they’re responding to the virus. Our aim is to keep you informed.

Dr Bloomfield today told Morning Report today the Health Ministry was setting up a centre to focus on tracing the close contacts of those who had been infected.

He said he had no doubt New Zealand would see more cases arriving from overseas, and hundreds of contacts were being sought.