New Zealand reports 21 new community cases of COVID-19

AFP

New Zealand reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 in the community, bring the number in the current outbreak to 72, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at a press conference on Sunday.

Of the 21 new infections, 20 were in Auckland and one was in Wellington, said Bloomfield.

Among the total 72 cases of COVID-19 in the community, 61 were linked to the Auckland cluster, and 12 were still under investigation, said Bloomfield.

The cluster of the current COVID-19 outbreak has been linked to a returnee from Sydney who arrived in Auckland on August 7. Investigations are underway to find out the missing link between the returnee and the first case of the cluster.

The number of locations of interest where community cases of COVID-19 have been reported has increased to almost 300, with 8,667 contacts having been identified, said Bloomfield.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government is encouraging the public to take COVID-19 vaccines and tests. More than 380,000 additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in New Zealand on Saturday, said COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

New Zealand went into nationwide Alert Level 4 lockdown from Tuesday August 17. The lockdown will stay in place at least until 11:59 pm Tuesday August 24.

The Cabinet will make a decision on whether to extend the lockdown on Monday, said Hipkins.