No community cases; 4 new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation; Viking Bay update

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

There are four cases of COVID-19 to report related to recent returnees in managed isolation facilities, since the Ministry’s last update yesterday.

Five previously reported cases have now recovered and the number of active cases in New Zealand is 42.

Three previously reported cases, from 26 June and 3 July, have now been deemed as historical.

Since 1 January 2021, there have been 93 historical cases, out of a total of 618 cases.

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

Our total number of confirmed cases is 2,434.

New border cases in New Zealand

Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/
quarantine location
26 June* South Africa Qatar Day 5/contact of a case Auckland
3 July* India Qatar Day 1/routine test Auckland
3 July* India Qatar Day 1/routine test Auckland
12 July United States of America Direct flight Day 0/routine test Auckland

*These three cases are deemed to be historical.

Both the 3 July cases are in a travel bubble together.

Update on the Viking Bay

Last night, one of the remaining five crew members aboard the Viking Bay quarantined fishing vessel became unwell and, out of an abundance of caution, the individual was transferred to an on-shore quarantine facility in Wellington.

The transfer of the crew member was done with the appropriate precautions in place and following advice from the local regional public health service. The crew member had previously returned a negative test result, and a further test will be taken today with the result expected late today.

Sixteen crew have now been transferred to an onshore quarantine facility.

The four remaining crew members aboard the Viking Bay, who have returned negative test results to date, are expected to undergo COVID-19 testing as per the normal sequence for close contacts of a case. These crew will have a day-0 test, a day-five test, followed by a day-12 test during their 14 days of isolation.

The vessel’s owner and agent provided a dispensation to the vessel to have only four crew on board to meet minimum safety requirements. Contingency planning is underway for any further changes in crew numbers. Port authorities, and the shipping agent, advise the Ministry that ongoing maintenance of the vessel will be undertaken while it is berthed in Wellington. The required maintenance does not require anyone to go onboard.

The Ministry of Health can confirm that whole genome sequencing from 12 of the crew aboard the Viking Bay shows they all have the Delta variant of COVID-19.

These 12 results demonstrate that the variants are all linked, though these cases are not genomically linked to the first case on the vessel, which also had the Delta variant. None of the current cases are linked to any other confirmed cases in New Zealand.

Source inquiries will be undertaken, however the finding around the Delta variant is not unexpected. It reinforces the importance of the precautions taken in transferring crew to the quarantine facility in Wellington.

MBIE advise that the Viking Bay mariners are on separate floors, and have their own fresh air and smoking areas, and a separate lift to move in while at the quarantine facility. These mariners are also in rooms by themselves and are expected to follow strict Infection Prevention and Control protocols developed by the Ministry of Health to manage the risks of spreading COVID-19.

Update on the Playa Zahara

The All of Government response confirmed the Spanish flagged shipping vessel the Playa Zahara applied for permission for a change of crew at Port Taranaki.

There have been reports of a flu-like illness on board, however as of 10am this morning, all but one of the crew members were no longer symptomatic.

Testing of the ship’s crew members by health authorities has been conducted and the ship is now based offshore, awaiting results. Further public health measures will be decided based on those results.