Health worker one of two new Covid cases

Prevention measures and PPE use at Auckland's Jet Park Hotel are being reviewed after a worker tested positive, the first case in the five and a-half months the quarantine facility has been operating.

The worker was one of two new cases of Covid-19 reported by the Ministry of Health today. The other is an imported case in managed isolation.

The worker is a health care worker who tested negative last week, but tested positive this week in the first week of weekly routine testing of Jet Park workers.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb said the worker was tested on Friday morning, and the health care worker did not work at any site other than the Jet Park.

The Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) team is now reviewing staffing logs, swipe card data and CCTV footage to map the person's movements in recent days.

Five household contacts connected to the health worker are in isolation at their home and are being tested today.

"This case is still being investigated to determine if the infection came from the community or from within the quarantine facility, though at this stage no obvious links to other cases in the community have been established," the ministry said.

Genome sequencing of the health worker's Covid-19 is being undertaken and results are expected tomorrow.

Protocols and procedures are now being double-checked at the facility, where there is a higher risk of infection.

"Staff at the facility regarded as close contacts have been stood down and a deep clean of staff areas at the facility has been completed," the ministry said.

"All staff at the quarantine facility are being retested over the next 48 hours. That process began last night with 48 staff tested and more are being tested today."

"Any close contacts identified will be required to self-isolate and be tested," Webb said.

Prevention control measures, including PPE use, will now be reviewed.

The returnee in managed isolation arrived from South Africa on September 8 and remains in quarantine in Canterbury.

There are 33 cases in the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship Church group and 15 cases in the bereavement events sub-cluster; 98 percent of the church congregation have now been tested, as have 98 percent of those attending the bereavement events.

There are three people in hospital with Covid-19 – one is in isolation on a ward in Auckland City Hospital. Two are in ICU, at North Shore and Waikato hospitals.
The number of active cases is now 97.

Of those, 39 are imported cases in MIQ facilities, and 58 are community cases.

Yesterday, there were 7211 tests processed.