New Zealand confirms 1st locally transmitted COVID infection in months
New Zealand officials announced Monday that the country’s first locally transmitted coronavirus case in two months has been identified as the more contagious South African strain.
The woman carrying the virus had recently traveled to Europe, but she tested positive 10 days after completing a mandatory two-week quarantine, according to the Health Ministry. Officials believe she contracted COVID-19 from another traveler who was staying in the same quarantine facility.
The 56-year-old woman does not have any severe symptoms and is isolating at home, said Chris Hipkins, the country’s coronavirus response minister.
“The strain of infection is the South African variant and the source of infection is highly likely to be a fellow returnee,” he told reporters at a news conference.
The South African variant is one of several mutations that have been discovered in recent months, including at least two fast-spreading ones from the U.K. and Brazil. New Zealand officials noted Monday that very little is known about the South African strain, but there’s some concern that “this mutation affects the body’s immune response to it and its transmissibility.”
“New forms, or variants, of the virus have become increasingly common around the world — and we have expected to see them here in New Zealand,” the country’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s leading infectious disease expert, warned Sunday that vaccines appear to be less effective against the South African strain “in some cases.”
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The latest infection in New Zealand is the country’s first confirmed case of community spread since November. The remote island country of about 5 million people has been widely praised for its response to the pandemic and low rates of infections and deaths. New Zealand has registered fewer than 2,300 cases and only 25 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Officials said the woman whose infection was confirmed Monday was staying at a hotel in Auckland and had tested negative twice before leaving the facility. At least 15 people have been identified as close contacts of the woman and are already self-isolating as a precaution.
The total number of active cases in New Zealand is now 64 — though 63 tested positive immediately after returning from overseas, officials said.
