Nine new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation facilities are being reported by the Ministry of Health today, including five historical cases.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
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In a written statement, the ministry this afternoon said there were no new community cases.
The nine cases in managed isolation included two members of the Pakistan cricket squad who were reported yesterday as under investigation.
The team is set to have its day 9 tests today.
The ministry said they had been identified as historical cases, along with a person who arrived from Germany via Singapore on 17 November and two people who travelled independently and arrived from Netherlands via Singapore on 18 November. Those three people all tested positive in day-12 testing.
The active cases include a person who arrived from the United Kingdom on 29 November and tested positive in day-three testing, two people who arrived from Qatar on 21 November and tested positive on day 12, and a person who arrived from the United States on 30 November and tested positive on day three.
With the recovery of another 11 cases New Zealand has 70 active cases of Covid-19, and 1713 total confirmed cases.
Laboratories completed 5843 tests yesterday, bringing the total tests to date to 1,291,609.
This morning, Minister for Covid Response, Chris Hipkins, told Morning Report it was unlikely the government would use emergency provisions to push it through as fast as other countries.
His comments followed news the UK government became the first nation in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
Hipkins said New Zealand was not under any humanitarian pressure to fast-track vaccines and that those drugs would only be approved after he was 100 percent sure of safety after trials were complete.
Yesterday, New Zealand reported one new case in managed isolation - a member of the Pakistan cricket squad.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre
Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus:
- See all RNZ Covid-19 news
- Covid-19 symptoms: What they are and how they make you feel
- How to wear a mask
- Touching your Face: Why do we do it and how to stop
- Scientific hand-washing advice to avoid infection
- A timeline: How the coronavirus started, spread and stalled life in New Zealand
- Coronavirus: A glossary of terms
