The Ministry of Health today reported one newly confirmed Covid-19 case in Hawke’s Bay, taking the total for the region to 16.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Rachel Eyre said the new case was a person recently returned from overseas.

The person had done all the right things and self-isolated as soon as they had returned into the country.

Covid-19 symptoms include a cough, high temperature, runny nose, sneezing or shortness of breath.

Dr Eyre said public health’s focus remained on contact tracing to identify anyone that may have come into contact with passengers or crew from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked in Napier on 15 March.

“Anyone who believes they were in close contact with Ruby Princess passenger or crew and have developed Covid-19 symptoms in the past fortnight are strongly advised to contact their GP so they could be assessed for referral to a Community-Based Assessment Centre (CBAC) for testing,” Dr Eyre said.

She reminded people that they needed an appointment at a CBAC before they could be assessed.

People are also able to call Healthline’s free 24/7 dedicated COVID-19 number on 0800 358 5453 for advice. Interpreters are available on request.

Today’s Ministry of Health national case updates can be found here: https://covid19.govt.nz/government-actions/covid-19-alert-level/

© Scoop Media