More Than 38,000 Daily Vaccine Doses; No Community Cases; Three Cases In Managed Isolation, Rio De La Plata Update

COVID-19 vaccine update 
More than 2.24 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to date (to 11.59pm on 9 August). Of these, 1.41 million are first doses and 830,000 are second doses.

More than 124,000 Māori have received their first vaccination. Of these, around 77,000 have also had their second vaccinations.

Almost 85,000 doses have been administered to Pacific peoples. Of these, around 52,600 have also received their second doses. 

On Monday (9 August), 38,154 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered. This was made up of 26,576 first doses and 11,578 second doses.

COVID-19 cases update 
There are no cases of COVID-19 to report in the community today.

There are 3 new cases of COVID-19 to report in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities, since the Ministry’s last update yesterday. Today’s total tally of cases also 
includes the 11 previously reported cases aboard the Rio De La Plata, which have now officially been added to the database.

One previously reported case has now recovered, with the number of active cases in New Zealand at 37. 

The two new cases we reported yesterday have now been reclassified as ‘under investigation,’ and have been removed from our total tally of cases.

Since 1 January 2021, there have been 116 historical cases, out of a total of 728 cases.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is four.

Our total number of confirmed cases is 2,546.

New border cases in New Zealand

* Case 1 was in a travel bubble with Cases 1-4 from Sunday’s case numbers.

** There are 11 cases all with the same details.

Rio De La Plata update

From 110 tests taken, negative results have now been returned from 109 workers at the Port of Tauranga. One is being retested as the result was inconclusive but is considered low risk

The two pilots, one of whom brought the Rio De La Plata into port and the other who took it out, have both now been tested, have returned negative results (their results are included in the total reported above) and will remain in isolation for the balance of the 14 days post possible exposure.

The local public health unit, Toi Te Ora, has now confirmed that 72 port workers boarded the vessel while it was docked in Tauranga. All 72 of these workers have been tested and all results are negative, with only the retest of the port worker currently outstanding. Some individuals may have an additional test to ensure they fall within the 72 hours threshold of when they were last on the ship.

Initial reports of the numbers of port workers on the vessel also included individuals who were on the wharf but did not go onboard. Those individuals have also been tested out of an abundance of caution and those results are also negative. All ships coming to New Zealand from overseas are treated as if the ship has COVID on board and protocols are in place to manage these risks. The Ministry understands from local public health staff that all infection prevention controls, and PPE protocol, were followed by port workers who had contact with the ship during their duties.

Regarding the crew of the Rio De La Plata, crew members aboard remain asymptomatic and the vessel remains offshore, off the coast of Tauranga. A decision of where it goes next will be made in coming days.

The Ministry will be working closely with Port of Tauranga and companies employing port workers to encourage those not currently vaccinated to get a vaccination.

Health officials have been engaging in multiple hui and Q+ A sessions at the port since March and will continue to encourage staff to get vaccinated up until the deadline of 30 September

Public health staff have determined that the risk posed to the Tauranga community by the Rio De La Plata COVID-19 cases is low, and the steps taken to date are appropriately managing any risks. For this reason, there are currently no restrictions on events in Tauranga.

The Ministry is asking port workers, their close contacts and Tauranga community to remain vigilant and follow all health advice.

Anyone in New Zealand who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should call Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice on getting a test. Anyone who is tested should self-isolate at home until they return a negative test.

Mattina update

The Mattina remains in quarantine at a secure berth in Bluff.

As of Tuesday morning, 13 of the original 21 mariners remain on board the vessel.

There is no further update to yesterday’s statement.

Testing

The total number of COVID-19 tests processed by laboratories to date is 2,529,030.

Yesterday, 3,343 tests were processed across New Zealand.

The seven-day rolling average is 5,314.

For all testing locations nationwide visit the Healthpoint website.

NZ COVID Tracer

NZ COVID Tracer now has 2,912,590 registered users.

Poster scans have reached 320,463,470 and users have created 12,595,441 manual diary entries.

There have been 436,885 scans in the past 24 hours to midday yesterday.

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