The Ministry of Health has extended the range of people who will now be tested for COVID-19.

A new case definition has been issued as a guide for clinical practitioners for diagnosis and testing. It means that, from now on, anyone with respiratory symptoms consistent with COVID-19 disease should be considered for testing, regardless of travel history or contact with a known case.

Ministry of Health Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said this was expected to significantly increase the number of tests carried out. Currently the country’s testing capacity is 3700 tests per day. These are currently being carried out at eight laboratories. The average number of daily tests over the past seven days is 1843.

To deal with the increased number of tests to be carried out, an additional two laboratories will be able to test for COVID-19.

There have been 47 confirmed and 14 possible new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the combined total to 708 – 61 more than yesterday. Fourteen people are currently in hospital, two of those in a stable condition in intensive care. Eight-two people have now recovered from COVID-19.

Dr McElnay said the fact that the number of new cases had remained relatively low for a few days now was encouraging but it was too early to say “what that actually means”.

Now that the case definition had been broadened and more testing would be carried out, the number of cases was expected to increase, she said.

Those cautions were echoed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who said that while the latest case numbers might seem “heartening”, it was still too early to assess whether the measures taken to date had been successful in slowing transmission.

Because the disease took a while to incubate, it might yet be “rearing its head in invisible symptoms” so New Zealand could not afford to be relaxed or complacent and allow a silent spread, she said.

The Government remained focused on increasing testing capacity to determine extend of community transmission, Ms Ardern said.

Meanwhile, Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black said the first charter flight taking New Zealanders who have returned from overseas and was carried out yesterday. This flight took 57 passengers, who had completed their monitored self-isolation period in an Auckland hotel, from Auckland to Wellington and on to Christchurch. Another flight is scheduled for this afternoon and there will be more in the coming days, as needed. Everyone on the flight has had pre-health checks and were without COVID-19 symptoms.

“They must all go into self-isolation once they get off the flight. It’s been a very complex exercise to make these flights happen and it’s just one example of the tremendous work being done by national and local government working alongside the private sector,” she said.

View the full briefing below.