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Four new community cases of Covid-19 in Waikato, two of them unlinked

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

'It is a drop, obviously, from yesterday's 94 but we do expect numbers to bounce around,' Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said as he announced 60 new cases of Covid-19 on October 20.

There are four new community cases of Covid-19 in Waikato, according to the Ministry of Health, and two of those have not yet been linked to the outbreak.

There are now 56 total cases in the region, 10 of whom have recovered.

Two of the new cases are in Te Awamutu, one is from Raglan, and one is from Hamilton.

The Raglan and Hamilton cases are contacts of known cases and are already isolating, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Investigations to determine how the Te Awamutu cases are linked to the outbreak are underway.”

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At the 1pm briefing on Wednesday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said two of the four new cases in Waikato – from Raglan and Hamilton – are close household contacts who were already in a quarantine facility.

Bloomfield said the other two – the so far unlinked cases in Te Awamutu – have “likely links” to existing cases.

Waikato DHB said the Raglan and Hamilton cases are in the Hamilton community isolation facility, while interviews with the two new Te Awamutu cases were scheduled for Wednesday.

There were 4520 Covid-19 test swabs taken in the Waikato region on Tuesday.
There were 4520 Covid-19 test swabs taken in the Waikato region on Tuesday.

New locations of interest in Te Awamutu were added to the ministry's website on Wednesday: FreshChoice Te Awamutu (Tuesday, October 12), and College Superette Te Awamutu (Tuesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 13).

There is one Covid-19 case in hospital in Waikato, the ministry said on Wednesday.

Four previously reported Waikato community cases remain unlinked and are still under investigation, the ministry confirmed to Stuff.

Two of those unlinked cases were reported last Wednesday and are a Hamilton couple.

The other two unlinked cases were reported on Sunday and live in Hamilton and Kihikihi.

Of the 56 community cases reported in Waikato since this outbreak began, 23 are in Raglan, 19 in Hamilton, eight in Te Awamutu, two in Cambridge, two in Whatawhata, one in Kāwhia, and one in Kihikihi.

Waikato DHB, in a statement, said the low number of locations of interest in the Waikato throughout this outbreak “indicates contact has largely been limited to between individuals and in private settings rather than in public spaces where there is a greater risk of community exposure”.

The DHB said alert level 3 restrictions further reduces the risk of public exposure events.

Pop-up Covid-19 testing sites are open in Hamilton, Raglan, Whatawhata, Kihikihi, and Te Awamutu.

The ministry said it is continuing to encourage anyone living in these areas who are symptomatic, to get a test.

“Particularly anyone in the Te Awamutu area, and/or if you know you may have been in contact with one of the people who is now a case, please go and get tested whether you have symptoms or not,” Bloomfield said at the 1pm briefing.

All testing locations in the Waikato region can be found on the Healthpoint website and the Waikato DHB website.

Waikato DHB is continuing to carry out regionwide testing, the ministry said, with 4520 swabs taken on Tuesday.

Waikato community cases of Covid-19 reported over the past week