The number of COVID-19 infections in Invercargill has now risen to 40. Nine cases have been identified in the Southland District and three in the Gore District.

One of the Southland cases was confirmed by Te Anau GP Dr Liz Scott today to be a person in Te Anau who had been in self-isolation since returning from overseas.

“He is recovering well at home,” she posted on the community Facebook page this morning.

It was Te Anau’s third confirmed case and Dr Scott said there had been no community transmission locally.

Numbers in the Queenstown Lakes District are unchanged from yesterday at 68. There have been 16 cases in the Central Otago District and the Clutha District has had five.

Nationally there have been 54 new cases reported today – 32 confirmed and 22 probable.

The total number of people in New Zealand now recovered from COVID-19 infection is 241.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said 12 people are in hospital around the country, one has been discharged since yesterday’s update. Four patients are in intensive care, one of these in the Southern District Health Board area (Dunedin Hospital). One of those patients receiving intensive care is in a critical condition.

For the cases where enough information is available, 42% have been linked to international travel and 41% are contacts of known existing cases. Community transmission has been confirmed in 2% of cases.

“The balance we continue to investigate to get to the bottom of where they may have been infected.”

The wedding at Bluff last month continues to be one of the largest single clusters of COVID-19 in the country, with the number of infections traced back to that event now at 62.

To date 42,826 COVID-19 tests have been carried out in New Zealand and the country’s testing capacity continued to increased, Dr Bloomfield said.

The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures record 1,210,956 confirmed cases worldwide (77,200 in the previous 24 hours). There have been 67,594 deaths (4810 n the previous 24 hours).

The report also notes that almost 90% of the world’s students – more than 1.5 billion children and young people – are now affected by nationwide school closures.

Meanwhile, Dr Bloomfield noted the WHO had updated its advice on the use of masks to contain the community spread of COVID-19.

“The WHO does not recommend the use of medical masks by the general public, except in particular circumstances where someone is sick and wearing a mask protects others, or someone who is caring for a sick person and the mask can help to protect them,” Dr Bloomfield said.

Dr Bloomfield also reiterated his comments from yesterday that anyone in need of medical assistance of any kind should not put off seeking that help. 

“Please do seek medical attention promptly. All general practices and other primary care providers are able to tend to your needs.”

He also clarified that travel for essential healthcare, even to another region, for medical care was classified as essential travel.

“People should undertake that travel to get care that might be required out of their district.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the case of a patient at Southland Hospital who failed to disclose COVID-symptoms when admitted, and had since tested positive, was concerning.

“From what I’ve seen of the case, it leaves the strong impression that in order to access surgery that individual was not open about their health status. And that puts them at risk, and it puts the health staff, who are there to look after them, at risk too,” she said.

“I think this feels like an obvious statement to make but if you have COVID symptoms, if you do not tell health professionals – even before you have contact with them, by picking up the phone – you are putting their lives at risk. And we just can’t tolerate that, regardless of how urgent someone considers their surgery to be.”

“As to any repercussions on that, that’s not a matter for me but my message on it is very clear.”

To date 16 people have been prosecuted in New Zealand for breaches of the Health Act in relation to the Level 4 restrictions. There have been 291 breaches recorded and 263 warnings and 10 youth referrals issued.

View today’s government briefing below