Most of the new Covid-19 cases in the South announced today are linked to the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown, while a confirmed case from the Wanaka A & P show has prompted an appeal by the Southern DHB to people showing signs of illness.
There are 12 new cases of coronavirus in the Southern District, taking the total to 31. This total includes 30 confirmed cases and one probable case.
The Ministry of Health has updated case information on its website, after Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced earlier today that New Zealand's total number of new cases had risen by 78 to 283.
- 78 new Covid-19 cases
- Call for calm as emergency declared
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs)
According to the ministry's website, seven of the new Southern cases are linked to the World Hereford Conference held in Queenstown last week. In total, 15 cases in New Zealand have now been linked to the event.
In its daily media update, the Southern District Health Board said some of today's new cases had returned from overseas travel, and at least one attended the Wanaka A&P Show in association with people who were also at the World Hereford Conference.
Anyone who has developed Covid-19 symptoms and who went to the Wanaka A & P show (13-15 March) was asked to contact Healthline or their family GP as they may need testing.
Cases who have returned from overseas have all gone into immediate isolation and have very few close contacts, the Southern DHB said.
Those related to the Wanaka A&P Show and World Hereford Conference had more extensive contacts that were being followed up. All cases had mild illness, it said.
Contact tracing has begun. Everyone was asked to monitor their health and contact Healthline if they experienced a cough, fever or had difficulty breathing.
''Again, we call upon the community to provide support to and respect the privacy of the affected people, and we thank everyone who for cooperating with requests to self-isolate.''
More Southern DHB cases were expected to be confirmed in coming days as New Zealanders returned home from overseas and as a result of exposure at the World Hereford Conference.
''Public Health staff are working very hard at identifying close contacts of these cases and providing advice and thank everyone for their cooperation and assistance."
The South continues to have a higher proportion of cases than its population and the SDHB area has the fourth number of cases after Auckland, Capital and Coast and Waikato DHBs.
However, the cases are likely to include three positive tests in Central Otago which were not counted in yesterday's update and a Te Anau case which the Otago Daily Times reported this morning.
The people confirmed with the disease in Central Otago were from Roxburgh, Cromwell and Alexandra.
It was only a matter of time, Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said.
"This makes it very real. If you needed to make it real, it is this.’’
The Te Anau community were advised of a confirmed Covid-19 case in the town by a local doctor this morning.
Posted into a community social media group, the statement detailed a Te Anau local, who recently attended the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown, was diagnosed with the virus.
"The whole family had already been self isolating for almost a week, since contact with the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown.
"As we enter this unprecedented period of lockdown, the [Fiordland] medical centre continues to operate, with additional staff on the phone lines. Please stay home, check on each other, and be kind and considerate, including any after-hours contact with our on-call doctor."
A follow-up post stated the patient had asked for the information to be shared.
"I would like to clarify that my earlier post was drafted in consultation with the patient, and that the level of identifying information included was at their request. We take patient privacy seriously and would not make posts like this without prior discussion."
The post was shared to the Fiordland Community Board Facebook page with an additional message.
"We were always aware that we weren't going to be immune from Covid-19."
Latest case details from Ministry of Health on Thursday:
262 Waikato 40s F Details to come
261 Waikato 20s M Details to come
260 Waitemata 30s M Details to come
259 Waikato 20s M Details to come
258 Waitemata Child M Details to come
257 Lakes 20s F Doha to Auckland on 25 March – flight QR920
256 Taranaki 20s F Doha to Auckland on 18 March – flight QR920, Auckland to New Plymouth on 19 March – flight NZ5035
255 Waikato 30s F Details to come
254 Counties Manukau Child M Details to come
253 Waitemata 50s M Details to come
252 Waitemata 70s M Details to come
251 Hutt Valley 40s M Linked to a confirmed case
250 Capital and Coast 50s M Linked to international travel
249 Capital and Coast 30s M Dubai to Auckland on 20 March – flight EK448, Auckland to Wellington on 21 March – flight NZ433
248 Capital and Coast 20s M International travel, flight details to come
247 Nelson Marlborough 30s M US to New Zealand, arrived 18 March, flight details to come
246 Nelson Marlborough 60s M Los Angeles to Auckland, arrived 16 March – flight NZ1, Auckland to Nelson on 16 March – flight NZ5065
245 Lakes 20s F Details to come
244 Bay of Plenty 70s M San Francisco to Auckland on 20 March – flight NZ7, Auckland to Tauranga, details to come
243 Waikato 40s M Dubai to Auckland, arrived on 19 March – flight EK450
242 Waikato 30s M Doha to Auckland, arrived on 20 March – flight QR920
241 Waikato 60s M Details to come
240 Waikato 20s F Details to come
239 Auckland 50s F Details to come
238 Counties Manukau 60s M Details to come
237 Counties Manukau 20s F Travel from Spain on 15 March, flight details to come
236 Counties Manukau Teen F Details to come
235 Auckland 70s M Details to come
234 Auckland 20s F Details to come
233 Auckland 20s F Details to come
232 Auckland 60s F Details to come
231 Auckland 30s M Details to come
230 Auckland 20s F Details to come
229 Waitemata 30s F Details to come
228 Lakes 60s M Details to come
227 Waikato 60s M Linked to cruise ship travel (Ruby Princess)
226 Waikato 60s F Cruise ship travel (Ruby Princess)
225 Waikato 40s F Details to come
224 Waikato 30s F Linked to a confirmed case
223 Waikato 70s F Linked to a confirmed case
222 Waikato 50s M Linked to a confirmed case
221 Waikato Teen M Linked to a confirmed case
220 Waikato 60s F Linked to a confirmed case
219 MidCentral 50s M Los Angeles to Auckland, arrived on 18 March – flight NZ5, Auckland to Palmerston North – flight NZ5107, date to come
218 Southern 20s M Dubai to Auckland on 18 March – flight EK448, Auckland to Dunedin on 19 March – flight NZ677
217 Southern 40s M Nadi to Auckland – flight NZ53, dates to be confirmed
216 Bay of Plenty 20s F Dubai to Auckland – flight EK0448, Auckland to Rotorua – flight NZ8155, dates to be confirmed
215 West Coast 60s M Linked to a confirmed case
214 West Coast 60s M Contact with a confirmed case. Wellington to Christchurch on 17 March – flight JQ287
213 Canterbury 40s F Linked to a confirmed case
212 Hutt Valley 40s M Doha to Sydney on 12 March – flight QR906, Sydney to Wellington on 13 March – flight VA171
211 Canterbury 50s M Relative of a confirmed case
210 Canterbury Unknown F Dubai to Auckland on 19 March – flight EK448, Auckland to Christchurch arriving on 20 March – flight details to come
209 Southern 60s M No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
208 Southern 30s F Dubai to Auckland on 18 March – flight EK448, Auckland to Dunedin on 19 March – flight NZ677
207 Canterbury 20s F London to Dubai on 19 March – flight EK10, Dubai to Sydney to Christchurch arriving on 20 March – flight EK412
206 Canterbury 50s M Manchester to Singapore on 18 March – flight SQ051, then Singapore to Christchurch on 20 March – flight SQ297
205 Southern 20s M Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi on 19 March – flight EY008, Abu Dhabi to Melbourne on 20 March – flight EY462, Melbourne to Auckland on 21 March – flight EY6328, Auckland to Queenstown on 21 March – flight NZ625
204 Southern 60s M Linked to confirmed cases
203 Hawke’s Bay 50s F Cruise ship travel (Ruby Princess)
202 Hawkes’s Bay 50s F Details to come
201 Hawke’s Bay 70s M No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
200 Southern 30s M No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
199 Southern 20s M No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
198 Southern 20s M Household exposure to confirmed case from World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
197 Southern 50s F Household exposure to confirmed case from World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
196 Southern 40s M No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
195 Southern 50s F No international travel history – exposed at World Hereford Conference in Queenstown
194 Northland 50s F UK to Dubai on 19 March – flight EK38, Dubai to Auckland, arriving 21 March – flight EK448
193 MidCentral 70s M Barcelona to Dubai on 15 March – flight EK188, Dubai to Auckland on 16 March – flight EK448, Auckland to Palmerston North on 17 March – flight NZ5115
192 Waikato 50s M Bangkok to Auckland, arriving 22 March, on Thai Airways
191 Capital & Coast 50s M LA to Auckland on 17 March, then Auckland to Wellington – flight details to come
190 Hutt Valley 20s F Details to come
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Comments
We can hope that there will be no future World Conferences of anything.
The press references to the Hereford Conference only mention Queenstown,but of course as the website lists,there were pre and post tours in both islands and visits to a material number of locations both farm and non farm,which is why there are reports of cases in locations such as Roxburgh,West Otago & Te Anau.