The Southern District Health Board has extended its sympathies to the family of an Invercargill man whose death is the first from Covid-19 in the region.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed today that the man's death was linked to the virus. It's the country's 12th Covid-19 death.
The man, in his 70s died in his Kingswell home on Tuesday evening. The death is linked to the Bluff wedding cluster and is believed to be the first coronavirus-related death not in hospital.
The Bluff wedding cluster has been connected to more than 90 cases, including the death of the groom's father.
In a statement this afternoon Southern DHB CEO Chris Fleming said: "This is very sad news and we send our sympathy to the family of the Invercargill resident."
“The first death in Southern is something we hoped would not happen and reminds us of the importance of the work we are all doing to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”
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The Ministry of Health and the Southern DHB request that the family’s privacy is respected.
Dr Bloomfield earlier said it was important to get a good understanding of the death so a post-mortem was ordered - leading to the delay in confirmation that it was Covid-related.
Nine new coronavirus cases were announced today, comprising four confirmed cases and five probable cases. They were recorded in Waitemata (5), Canterbury (3), and Waikato (1).
They are all linked to confirmed cases.
The total of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand is now 1431.
There are 18 people in hospital, including three in ICU and two in a critical condition. One of these is in Dunedin Hospital.
There are no new cases in the Southern DHB area today, meaning the area's total number of cases remains at 216. It is still the highest in the country, followed by Waitemata (211) and Auckland (185).
- ODT Online
