Key Points:
- Second case of coronavirus confirmed by testing last night
- Kiwi woman returned to Auckland from holiday in northern Italy via Singapore on February 25
- Woman travelled to Palmerston North this week on Air NZ flight
- Westlake Boys' and Westlake Girls' High School notified because members of her family have gone to school
- The woman is in self-isolation at home, her partner is also showing symptoms and is in isolation
- School-aged family members are not showing symptoms and now in isolation at home
A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in New Zealand, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.
Kiwi health authorities have given their latest update on coronavirus to reporters in Wellington.
The patient is a woman in her 30s who recently returned to Auckland from northern Italy. She is a New Zealand citizen.
The woman's partner - also in self-isolation - is displaying symptoms.
The woman was on Air NZ flight NZ0283 on February 25, from Singapore to Auckland.
Air New Zealand chief medical officer Dr Ben Johnston says the airline has anticipated and planned for this scenario, and has a robust process in play to manage its response.
Video: Air NZ
Public health staff will be contacting everyone from that flight. Contact tracing is under way.
The woman also took two domestic flights - Air NZ flight 5013 Auckland to Palmerston North on March 2, and Air NZ 8114 Palmerston North to Auckland on the same day. All passengers on those flights will be contacted.
Two schools have also been notified of the positive test as there is a family member at each school. They are Westlake Boys' and Westlake Girls' High Schools.
"Contacts of contacts are not at risk," Bloomfield emphasised.
Family members at those schools have no symptoms and are at home in isolation. Neither travelled to Italy.
Bloomfield said the woman is in self-isolation in her home with "appropriate clinical support" from public health staff.
She does not require hospital level care, he said, and self-isolation is considered appropriate in such cases, according to the WHO.
The family involved are NZ citizens, Bloomfield said.
He added that the WHO was emphasising that Covid-19 was not as efficiently transmitted as the flu. It appears that people who are infected with Covid-19 but are not yet sick very rarely transmit the disease - unlike the flu.
The ARPHS is carrying out contact tracing for the patient.
The woman had developed symptoms after arriving at Auckland International Airport. Her partner had been with her in Italy.
Nobody else from the schools had been isolated, Bloomfield said.
In China, human-to-human transmission of Covid-19 is largely occurring in families, Bloomfield said, referencing a WHO report.
However, fewer than 10% of family members would become symptomatic or get the virus.
The woman's partner's movements would be tracked as part of contact tracing, he said.
Contact tracing would be "very detailed" and would focus on places where there was a possibility of close contact.
The positive result was on a swab taken on Monday. It was the first test carried out on the woman.
There were no plans to close either high school.
The woman's partner's results were expected back later today.
Bloomfield said there would be a "relatively small number" of family and friends who would have been in close contact.
Between 30-40 people could also have been in close contact on the plane, if it was a Boeing-777 with all seats occupied.
"Close contact" is considered being within one metre for more than 15 minutes.
Those who travelled on any of the woman's flights could call Healthline and find out whether they had been sitting close to the woman, Bloomfield said.
There have now been over 160 samples tested for Covid-19 in New Zealand, Bloomfield said.
Airports and aircraft also had regular, rigid cleaning routines, he said.
Casual contacts of the woman - ie not close contacts - had a low chance of developing Covid-19, but it was not zero, Bloomfield said. They should keep a close eye on their health.
As part of the national pandemic plan, all government agencies are looking at what would happen in an outbreak and how staff could work from home.
"Fortunately we are still early on - we are [at the] Keep it out, Stamp it out [stage]."
Air NZ contacting customers
Air NZ says it is working closely with the Ministry of Health and government agencies to identify and proactively contact customers who travelled on the Singapore service and the two regional flights.
Air New Zealand chief medical officer Dr Ben Johnston says the airline has anticipated and planned for this scenario, and has a robust process in play to manage its response.
"We are working closely with the Ministry of Health to identify and proactively contact customers from these flights. This includes utilising our own contact centre staff," Johnston said.
"The health and safety of passengers and crew is Air New Zealand's top priority and our aircraft already undergo a thorough cleaning process, which includes cleaning surfaces such as tray tables and inflight entertainment screens with a disinfectant that kills viruses, Johnston said.
"We also remove all headsets, headrest covers, pillow covers, and blankets after every international flight. Domestic and regional services surfaces and bathrooms are wiped with disinfectant spray. The three aircraft this customer flew on will now also undergo a deep clean."
