There are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in the community or in managed isolation in New Zealand today.
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In a statement this afternoon, the Ministry of Health announced three historical cases of Covid-19 in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities.
Five previously reported cases had now recovered and the number of active cases in New Zealand stood at 54, the Ministry said.
Since 1 January 2021, there have been 108 historical cases, out of a total of 690 cases.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border stand at seven.
The total number of confirmed cases is New Zealand is now 2507.
Response to PCR wastewater results
All test results currently processed for New Plymouth from Friday, Saturday and some of yesterday were negative, the statement said.
"A total of 160 swabs were taken in New Plymouth yesterday. Around a quarter of these have been processed and returned negative results.
"There remain a number of results that are pending from swabs taken yesterday that are expected later today," the statement said.
A preliminary result, from an early wastewater sample taken for around two thirds of the usual 24-hour sampling time, had come back with no further Covid-19 detected.
Results from wastewater samples taken over a wider area in Taranaki are expected tomorrow.
The Ministry said it was continuing to strongly encourage anyone in Taranaki with symptoms, or recent arrivals from Australia with or without symptoms who had recently visited Taranaki, to be tested.
It followed two positive wastewater results detected in Taranaki late last week on 20 July and 22 July, which could be due to recently recovered cases continuing to shed the virus, or could signal undetected cases in the community.
Additional testing capacity remained open in New Plymouth to support potential demand.
People who have recently been in Australia should continue to check the state websites for locations of interest as new locations of interest continue to be identified, the statement said.
Anyone with symptoms consistent with Covid-19 should call Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice on getting a test.
Ships docked in New Zealand
Mattina Update
There has been no change since the update provided yesterday on MS Mattina.
The ship remains in quarantine in Bluff and is inaccessible by the public. Every safety precaution has been taken to ensure the public health risk, which has been deemed low, remains that way.
Playa Zahara
The crew of the Playa Zahara are now all recovered and no one remains onshore in managed isolation. The fishing vessel remains in quarantine at Lyttelton Port.
Viking Bay
Fourteen of the 20 crew members are now back aboard the Viking Bay, which remains in quarantine at Queens Wharf in Wellington. Six of the crew members remain in managed isolation in Wellington.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been reassuring New Zealanders wanting to get home from Australia they will have space this week, before the official start of eight-week suspension of the quarantine-free travel with the country.
New South Wales - where the majority of community cases are - has 145 new cases of Covid-19, with 51 infectious while in the community, Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a media briefing in Sydney today.
Ardern also told Morning Report that 1.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were due to arrive next month, as the rollout extends to the first cohort in group 4 this week.
