Kovit-19: The first case in two months in New Zealand is affected by the South African variant

The first person to be infected locally in New Zealand for more than two months has a South African variant of the corona virus, and the spread could occur during his isolation, officials said Monday.

On Saturday, a 56-year-old woman returning from Europe tested positive for Covit-19. His two-week solitary confinement lasted ten days, meaning the first “local polluter” since mid-November. In addition, he suffers from the South African variant, which is 50% more viral than the original strain.

“The strain of the infection is a South African variant, and the source of the infection may be another person who has returned from abroad,” Health Minister Chris Hipkins announced Monday. During her isolation she was victimized by someone on the same floor and this woman tested positive two days before she was due to complete her isolation. Authorities are investigating whether the virus could have been spread through ventilation and air conditioning systems at the center in Auckland.

After being released from isolation, the woman returned home to the Northland area at the northern tip of the country, where she developed Covit-19 symptoms several days before the positive test. Fifteen people were identified as identified as contact cases. Her husband and her hairdresser, who were in close contact with her, carried out the tests, which were negative.

Relieved, Chief Health Officer Ashley Bloomfield realized that if they were not infected, it could be due to the symptoms that the woman was showing. “He didn’t talk about respiratory symptoms, it was more muscle pain, so he didn’t spread the virus as much,” he said.

Australia takes action

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has expressed his “deep concern” for his part, and his government has announced that the provision allowing exemptions for New Zealanders coming to Australia will be suspended for at least three days. Isolation, effective immediately. He told reporters in Canberra: “We are on full alert as we wait to learn more. Air New Zealand estimates that this will affect the five flights scheduled to date. .

Similarly, Australian authorities have demanded that New Zealanders be screened from January 14 and isolated while waiting for a negative test result.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Artern spoke with her Australian envoy Scott Morrison this afternoon. “I told her we have confidence in our systems and processes, but it’s up to Australia to decide how it manages its borders,” he admitted on TVNJet.

New Zealand’s record in the fight against Govt-19 has been praised abroad, with the archipelago having less than 2,000 cases and 25 deaths since the outbreak.