Covid-19: Second day without new community cases in Waikato, but two cases remain unlinked

Friday, 15 October 2021

Even a teddy bear was masked up as people waited for Covid swabs at Te Awamutu Events Centre.

There are no new community cases of Covid-19 in Waikato for the second day in a row.

The total number of Waikato cases linked to this outbreak remains at 37 – two of whom have recovered, according to the Ministry of Health.

A second wastewater sample from Te Awamutu, taken on Wednesday, has tested positive for Covid-19, however, and the ministry is urging anyone in the area with Covid symptoms to get a test.

Two of the Waikato cases haven't yet been linked to another case and investigations into how they got infected continue, the ministry said in a Friday statement.

Anyone in the towns who has Covid-19 symptoms or has visited a location of interest should get a test, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay says. (This video was first published on October 14, 2021.)

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However, results of whole genome sequencing show they are linked to other local cases and the Auckland outbreak.

After a second positive wastewater result in Te Awamutu, people in the area who have symptoms, whose family members have symptoms, or who travel regularly for work were asked to get tests. Pictured is testing at a station at the Te Awamutu Events Centre.

The two cases are members of the same Hamilton household and were first reported on Wednesday.

“Hamilton residents are encouraged to keep checking the ministry’s website for any locations of interest,” the ministry said.

“Waikato DHB is continuing to carry out regionwide testing, to help rule out any undetected community spread of Covid-19.”

There are five community testing centres available across Waikato on Friday, including a pop-up testing centre in Te Awamutu which opened on Thursday following a positive wastewater detection in the area.

Covid-19 was detected in wastewater samples taken from the Waikato town on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Public health officials have yet to identify anyone who returned to the area from managed isolation and quarantine and could be shedding the virus in the area,” the ministry said.

“For this reason, anyone in the Te Awamutu area who has symptoms of Covid-19, or have family or household members who are symptomatic, or anyone who travels in and out of the area regularly for work, are urged to get tested as soon as possible.”

Anyone who has been at a location of interest at the relevant time and is now in Te Awamutu should also get tested, the ministry said.

Locations of testing sites in Waikato are available on the Healthpoint website and the Waikato DHB website.

Vaccination rates in Waikato remained high on Thursday with 6502 people receiving a dose – of those, 1939 were first doses, and a further 4563 were second doses.

There were also around 3500 swabs taken across the Waikato region on Thursday.

The alert level for Waikato will be reviewed again on Monday.