Bluff wedding added to list of Covid-19 clusters

A new cluster added to the list relates to a wedding held in Bluff.  Photo: Allied Press
A new cluster added to the list relates to a wedding held in Bluff. Photo: Allied Press
The Ministry of Health (MoH) have revealed there are several new clusters of Covid-19 cases throughout the country, including one connected to a wedding in Bluff.

 

The MoH updated its website today to include several new groups to its list of clusters today, which include both confirmed and probable cases of the virus.

A new cluster added to the list relates to a wedding held in Bluff. There are eight cases linked to the wedding and there were three new confirmed or probable cases in the last 24 hours.

Bluff Community Board chairman Ray Fife said he was shocked to hear the news and had not received formal notification of the cluster.

‘‘I just hope those people who have been confirmed [as having the virus] make a full recovery.’’

He thought it unlikely the people who attended the wedding were from Bluff as there had been no mention of it in the community.

It was a timely reminder for people to ensure they were following guidelines, he said.

This comes after several clusters of confirmed cases in places such as the World Hereford Conference which was held in Queenstown and the cluster at Marist College in Auckland, which is the largest recorded cluster with 48 confirmed or probable cases.

The number of cases connected to the cluster at the World Hereford Conference has increased by 5 in the last 24 hours.

Last week, a joint statement from Ministry of Health, Southern District Health Board and Canterbury District Health Board said 400 people from 18 countries attended the conference and as of earlier this week 840 close contacts linked to the conference had been identified.

As of today there are 24 confirmed and probable cases linked to the conference, held from March 9-13. Another two people from overseas, who had been at the conference, were previously revealed to have tested positive.

The Southern District Health Board said earlier it believes more cases connected to it will be found.

After attending the conference, some of the 400 participants went on to travel around the South Island as part of a pre-arranged tour. Before the conference some attendees travelled around the North Island.

A cluster is where there are a group of Covid-19 cases who are linked together because they have been in the same place together.

All clusters are being investigated by public health officials. Public health staff quickly follow up confirmed cases as soon as they are identified. They also work to contain clusters and prevent the disease spreading any further.

Significant clusters in NZ - as at 9am 31 March 2020
Clusters under investigationLocationTotal to dateNew in last 24 hours
Marist CollegeAuckland481
World Hereford ConferenceQueenstown245
Redoubt BarMatamata2311
Group travel to USWellington16-1*
Assisi Rest homeHamilton142
Boomrock weddingWellington11-1*
Air Force rugby team US visitBlenheim96
Living EarthChristchurch81
Bluff weddingBluff83
Marlborough AlzheimersMarlborough61
Hutt City cluster 1Hutt City40
Colorado ski-boat builderAuckland40
Spectrum careAuckland41
Hutt City cluster 2Hutt City30

* Decrease in case count is due to probable case being downgraded to suspect.

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