Wellington, New Zealand – The first case of coronavirus in New Zealand in the community in more than two months has been identified as the most contagious variant in South Africa, causing Australia to suspend the quarantine-free journey from the neighboring country for at least 72 hours.
A 56-year-old New Zealander, who recently returned from Europe, tested positive for the infectious strain on Saturday, 10 days after completing her two mandatory weeks off.
New Zealand has been widely praised for managing the pandemic, with only 25 deaths out of 1,927 confirmed cases of the virus in a population of five million.
The latest case is the first in New Zealand in the community since mid-November and has been classified as a strain that is said to be more transmissible and possibly resistant to COVID-19 vaccines currently being released worldwide.
CBS news
“The strain of the infection is the South African version, and the source of the infection is very likely to be a repatriated colleague,” said Health Minister Chris Hipkins.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was a case of “significant concern”, and the increased possibility of transmission led his government to suspend its “travel bubble” with New Zealand for at least 72 hours.
“This will be done out of an abundance of caution, while finding out more about the event and the case,” he told Canberra reporters.
“The changes take effect immediately.”
Hunt urged New Zealanders to have a flight to Australia scheduled for the next three days to “reconsider their need to travel” as they will have to go into hotel quarantine – as well as other international arrivals – for up to 14 days. on arrival.
It is believed that the woman was infected during quarantine by a person on the same floor of the hotel who gave positive results two days before the woman left.
Peter Meecham / AP
The 56-year-old traveled around the Northland region, near Auckland, after being released from quarantine and showed symptoms for several days before being tested.
Two people close to her, including her husband, have since returned negative tests, and New Zealand’s director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said they probably avoided getting the disease because of the type of infection.
“He didn’t talk about respiratory symptoms, there was more muscle pain, so he may not have shared or spread the virus much,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s specific to this variant, but just the way it was expressed in this woman.”
The World Health Organization says there is no clear evidence that the South African version leads to more severe disease or a higher mortality rate, but researchers at the country’s main government laboratory told CBS News that it appears highly resistant to antibodies. created by the previous infection with the original strain of the coronavirus.
It fuels fears that it may be resistant to current vaccines, which rely on antibodies to prevent serious infections with the disease.
Another strain of coronavirus, first detected in the south of England and already spreading much faster around the world than is thought to be the South African variant, can be more lethal, the British prime minister said on Friday.