Covid-19: MIQ worker had received one dose of vaccine, situation deemed 'low-risk'

Tuesday, 23 March 2021

A managed isolation facility worker who tested positive for Covid-19 had received one dose of the vaccine, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

On Monday evening, the Ministry of Health announced the MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) worker at the Grand Millennium Hotel had tested positive for the virus.

The Ministry has not yet released any locations of interest in its statement, nor has its list of contact tracing locations been updated.

But Hipkins said there are very few locations of interest in relation to the case, and the situation is looking fairly low-risk.

At the tail end of Covid-19 alert level 4, those who lost work were more likely to feel depressed and alone, and people in essential roles were more stressed and angry.

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He said the border worker has had at least one dose of the vaccine, and the case was picked up with a swab test.

Hipkins also said the Covid-19 test results of family members of the worker are being fast-tracked, and will be released at the 1pm briefing today.

When asked about contact tracing, Hipkins said “there’s not a particularly big circle of concern around this case”, and added that the case did not have many contacts outside of work.

Hipkins cautioned that the vaccine took a while to become effective, and it didn’t necessarily stop infection.

The worker and their family are currently self-isolating at home as the Government is yet to make an official announcement on whether the group will be transferred to a quarantine facility.

But in response to questions about why the case was self-isolating, a staffer for the Government's Covid-19 Facebook page said: “This is a decision made by the local medical officer of health based on the households specific personal circumstances and needs. They may yet be transferred to a quarantine facility.”

In response to a flurry of questions about the case's vaccination status, a staffer for the Government's Covid-19 Facebook page said while many MIQ workers had received their first dose, many are still yet to receive their second dose, as it has to be given at least three weeks after the first.

When asked about the case at Tuesday’s media standup on the housing package, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said she wouldn't answer questions around Covid-19 cases, but said cases linked to MIQ facilities are generally contained and manageable.

She directed questions on this to Dr Ashley Bloomfield who will be appearing at 1pm to provide an update.

Earlier on Monday evening, Stuff reported returnees at a nearby Auckland isolation hotel, the Grand Mercure, who shared a bus to an exercise area with a positive Covid-19 case have had their stays extended.

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Health announced eight new cases of Covid-19, all in managed isolation.