Disturbing theory emerges in 'mystery' New Zealand outbreak
New Zealand health authorities say its outbreak of coronavirus cases after more than 100 days without community transmission appears to have come from either Australia or the UK.
On Sunday, New Zealand announced 13 new infections, taking its active cases total to 69.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said the source of the Auckland outbreak was unknown, but it appeared it had not come from a confirmed case in hotel quarantine.
"The epidemiology suggests it has come from Australia or the UK because that's the epidemiological DNA of it. But none of our cases in managed isolation match the same sort of fingerprint as the outbreak we have in Auckland,” Mr Hipkins told Newstalk ZB.
“It's a mystery.”
New Zealand’s health authorities are in discussions with Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews to discuss links between the two regions.
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said there was "no evidence" of an epidemiological link between the Australian state and the NZ outbreak.
Mr Hipkins said there is also a focus on frozen goods, despite experts’ reservations over claims the virus could have been brought in to the country via imported goods.
“The fact this all seems to have originated in a cool store means we need to pursue that and look at that,” he said.
Attention has turned to global chilled food storage company Americold, where it has 10 confirmed cases at its Mount Wellington site in Auckland.
A worker at the facility is currently the person who has shown symptoms the earliest of all confirmed cases in the Auckland outbreak, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.
The company has a facility in Melbourne however its Australia and New Zealand CEO Richard Winnall said there have been no shipments to the Auckland facility, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Dr Bloomfield had previously said it was “unlikely” the virus had been imported on the the surface of frozen goods.
Mr Hipkins said all border staff as well as those working in airports and managed isolation would be tested by the end of the week.
PM delays NZ election over outbreak
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delayed the New Zealand election until October 17 following the outbreak, nearly a month after its original September 19 date.
She said she had no intention of postponing it again.
Ms Ardern placed Auckland into lockdown last Wednesday in an attempt to subdue the virus's spread.
The prime minister also returned social distancing and gathering caps to the rest of New Zealand as part of her government's zero-tolerance elimination strategy of the virus.
Both alert levels will be in place for a fortnight and are due to expire on Wednesday August 26.
with AAP
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