After three days with no new cases but there is one additional case today. However it’s not exactly new as the person is linked to the Marist school cluster and had symptoms two months ago.
The Ministry of Health report:
Today we are reporting one new confirmed case of COVID-19.
This means New Zealand’s combined total of confirmed and probable cases is now 1,498, of which 1,148 are confirmed.
Today’s confirmed case is linked to the Marist cluster in Auckland and was identified through recent follow-up testing of the school community. The person first had symptoms nearly two months ago and had a previous negative test. The result is considered a ‘weak positive’ and the person, who has been in isolation through the lockdown period, is not considered infectious now.
We have previously identified instances of ‘weak positive’ cases, which can occur some time after an individual’s illness.
We now have 1,421 people reported as having recovered from COVID-19, an increase of 10 on yesterday. This is 95% of all confirmed and probable cases.
There are now just 56 ‘active’ cases across the country.
Today there are two people receiving hospital level care for COVID-19 – one each in Auckland and Middlemore hospitals. Neither are in ICU.
We still have 16 significant clusters.
There are no additional deaths to report.
There were 7,174 laboratory tests processed yesterday, which brings the total number of tests completed to 216,787.
Your NZ 
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th May 2020One case for every 89,000 people.
How can this be called an epidemic ?
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020I thought it was a pandemic Kitty?
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th May 2020One case for every 89,000 people in round figures.
How can this be called an epidemic ?
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th May 2020If we have none, will the more ridiculous rules like not being able to sit on the long benches at The Base in Hamilton be lifted ? The idiotic thing is that people can sit on benches at the bus stops there.
And surely hairdressers won’t have to wear those shields and gowns.
There were far fewer people in masks yesterday. There are still some idiots who wear them under their noses or even under their chins.
duperez
/ 15th May 2020You said on here one day that you used to be a teacher. Whatever age your pupils were you most likely had them considering cause and effect and drawing conclusions from available information.
Do you think you’ll state on here that it is reasonable to deduce there is no major epidemic because of steps which were taken?
Or could it be you don’t see it is a reasonable deduction to make?
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th May 2020The cases have been almost all people who were not even ill enough to be in hospital.
It would have made far more sense to test people as they came into the country and save the economy. Even if most had been accommodated at taxpayers’ expense, the cost would have been a fraction of the cost of the lockdown,
I think that we will find that more people have died because of the lockdown than because of Covid in NZ.
No, I don’t think that the lockdown prevented an epidemic given that most cases seem to have been clusters, and now that there are 56 cases, the chances are minuscule.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th May 2020The countries with the fewest deaths have not had lockdowns. Why is this, do you think? Look at Kerala, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Duker
/ 15th May 2020“will find that more people have died because of the lockdown than because of Covid in NZ.”
The reverse. less deaths from: road accidents, suicides, hospital procedures, homicides, work accidents, drownings, alcoholism/drug OD
#loveyourbubble
Pink David
/ 15th May 2020“#loveyourbubble”
Duker, you stay in your bubble. That is your choice. Where do you get off forcing everyone else to be locked in their homes exactly?
From now, I declare Duker is not allowed in a car to protect him from road death, and he is to be confined to a padded cell to stop him topping yourself.
I also declare Duker is never to receive any hospital treatment to save you from any ‘hospital procedures’.
Duker is never again allowed near water, nor have a bath to prevent any risk of drowning.
Duker is not allowed to work. He is protected from work accidents now.
I do this for your own safety.
I’m saving your life.
Clap your hands to cheer my sacrifice every night at 5pm.
duperez
/ 15th May 2020Ah, the luxury of the benefit of hindsight. Likely afforded by the relatively good position the country is in health wise.
The moment has gone and you will never be put to the test. In the middle of January the virus spread through China and into Thailand, Japan and South Korea. It was known to be in other countries besides those ones (including the USA) by January 23rd. Obviously the way international travel happens means the virus was already here. The first known cases were from Italy (via Singapore) and Iran.
On 3 February, the New Zealand Government put entry restrictions on foreign nationals travelling here from, or through mainland China. Those entering the country had to self-isolate for 14 days. On 6 February a chartered flight brought nearly 200 evacuees from Wuhan who went into quarantine for 14 days at Whangaparaoa.
When did the first cases come into the country? Given incubation times, asymptomatic, people testing negative but later positive and any other factors, you would have tested all people coming into the country? Somehow accommodated them? From what date? Mid January? February 3rd? On March 25th the lockdown started.
All sorts of considerations were made by all sorts of people before decisions were mad. I’m pleased I didn’t have to make any big calls. From my hindsight position now we’ve got to this stage I can luxuriate in pondering the imponderables.
Like out of all the countries in the world would we, should we, have copied what some particular one or ones were doing? Singapore? Sweden? Kerala, Taiwan or Vietnam? Why? Way back when we didn’t know what their pictures would look like in late May. The United States? Imponderables like if the Government had gone considerably earlier, as some are now saying, and/or considerably harder, in different ways, as you are saying, what would the reaction have been? My picture is one of an absolute storm of complaints about over-reaction and wasting money putting thousands up in accommodation. The Ardern and Government haters would have been all a-froth.
One of the nice things about the debate is that I know my hindsight opinion is just as right as anyone else’s too. And I’m alive to make it and all of our family and friends are alive. Some might be poorer and have challenges, that’s life. You can say we haven’t had a pandemic or even an epidemic. Maybe that’s something to be grateful about.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_New_Zealand
Pink David
/ 15th May 2020“Ah, the luxury of the benefit of hindsight.”
What hindsight. There is no science that supports a lockdown. Hell, the story was that it was about flatten the curve, remember that? That has long since disappeared. Why did the goal posts change huh?
The economic cost of the lockdown is real and was well understood at the time. It will cost almost 10 years of NZ’s entire healthcare budget even on the optimistic projections of the budget. How much healthcare has now been lost as a result?
The data at the time of the lockdown was very clear. Covid is a serious risk for people who are old and are suffering significant existing health conditions. The other data we had at the time was that it does not spread, much, if at all, outdoors.
Locking people who are at almost no risk from Covid makes no sense given it comes at a staggering cost. This has been the biggest mistake in government policy for a hundred years, and it was perfectly visable at the time.
Korea, Japan, Taiwan were all dealing with Covid perfectly well without lockdowns. What on earth sparked the idea of a lockdown in NZ when NZ had direct evidence of working solutions that do no come with astronomical costs. The evidence since is that the countries with the worst outcomes are the ones that have locked down. Belgium is the worst affected and it locked down early.
Hindsight my ass.
duperez
/ 16th May 2020What hindsight? The hindsight you’re using now.
What on earth sparked the NZ approach? What on earth sparked anyone to use the approach they did? Countries acted on the advice of experts they chose to listen to meshed with whatever political and vested interests they wanted to heed to whatever degree.
Maybe next time anything seems to be going on our government could simple get in touch with Korea, Japan or Taiwan and ask them what we should do.
Or contact you. You rubbish lockdowns. Presumably all the countries who’ve had lockdowns would have been in much better situation by listening to your advice.
Pink David
/ 15th May 2020“Do you think you’ll state on here that it is reasonable to deduce there is no major epidemic because of steps which were taken?”
Where is your evidence that the steps taken made any difference?
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020The “End game” chapter says it all Kitty.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-could-end1/
Duker
/ 15th May 2020Did you have your scientist white coat on Kitty when saying ‘how can this be an epidemic’..
I can help you with that
For the US CDC ..the difference between an outbreak and an epidemic around 7% or greater ( can vary) of those have/had the disease and those dying ( cumulative) then its an epidemic. US is well over 10%
NZ is now around 1.4% , which just goes to show how well our shutdown went
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020No lock down in Vietnam?
https://theconversation.com/vietnam-has-reported-no-coronavirus-deaths-how-136646
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020Somehow I can’t see the “freedom or death” camp allowing Vietnam’s program here.
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020And Taiwan
https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/how-taiwan-battles-the-coronavirus/
NOEL
/ 15th May 2020And Kerala…did i see the words lock down in there?
https://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/2020/05/06/covid-19-timeline-kerala-india-coronavirus-chronology-important-dates.html
Pink David
/ 15th May 2020Some actual data on lockdowns. Not a scrap of evidence they did anything except make things worse.
https://wmbriggs.com/post/30833/
Duker
/ 16th May 2020yet Greece , NZ Australia had them- done early, they work
Sweden is poster child for your approach, its relentessly killing people every day on top of the 1000s, compared to its neighbours
Pink David
/ 16th May 2020Australia did not lockdown. The vast majority of businesses were open, construction sites still running through the whole thing. This made zero difference to the outcome.
Sweden…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYDfNbEXQAIQyeG?format=jpg&name=medium
Belgium had a lockdown, they lockeddown early and they are the worst hit in the world.