An Auckland councillor says the passing of a person isolating at home is tragic, and support needs to be given to those in isolation.
The person was found deceased by a family member visiting on Wednesday. They had tested positive for Covid-19 on 24 October and had been isolating at home with public health oversight.
Manurewa/Papakura ward councillor Daniel Newman has described it as a tragic.
He told Morning Report it's an incredibly distressing time for the family.
"I don't want to speculate on the circumstances of that person's passing, but I do want to pass my sympathy to that person's family."
Newman said the number of people with Covid-19 isolating at home puts pressure on services in the community as it increases.
"This is a very challenging time for our community. We've been grappling with increasing case numbers and the urgent need to get everyone vaccinated, but obviously, we're wanting to ensure that those people who are Covid-positive, and whānau who are affected by that diagnosis are receiving all the support they need in a community, obviously, which is complex in terms of the wider economic and social challenges that we face."
He said it can't imagine how challenging it would be to be self-isolating after a Covid-19 diagnosis.
"We need to ensure that people who are self-isolating can do so safely, that they have all of the support that they need."
Newman said those working at the frontline are stretched handling positive cases and vaccination.
"Most people in New Zealand are going to face an outbreak of Covid in their community with about 80 or 90 percent full vaccination coverage. My community in Auckland faced it with about 20 percent vaccination coverage."
