An extract from the NZ Ministry of Health, Media release, 06 November 2020
Cases linked to managed isolation in Christchurch
Since identifying the positive test results in the two people who work in the managed isolation facility at the Sudima at Christchurch Airport, our systems have rapidly worked to put a ring around the virus and stop it spreading in the community.
The first health care worker reported as testing positive sought a test quickly after developing very mild symptoms, even though they had just been tested two days earlier.
This swift action allowed us to rapidly isolate Case A and trace and test their contacts.
We then identified a further positive case in another health care worker, Case B, and quickly traced and tested their contacts too.
Widespread testing has taken place in the managed isolation facility and in the contacts of the two health care workers.
Staff who worked at the Sudima Hotel since 23 October have been tested, with all 193 returning negative results.
All of Case A’s close contacts have returned a negative result, and all results received from Case B’s close contacts are negative to date, with one result outstanding.
Investigations are ongoing to determine when exactly the health care workers were exposed to the virus, but we believe them to have been infected by the international mariners they have been caring for, 31 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19.
The genome of Case A is B1.1.7 – of the international mariners who have tested positive for COVID-19, five are part of the B1.1.7 lineage.
Case A’s genome is an exact match with the genomes from these five mariners, indicating a high likelihood that one of these guests is the source of the health care worker’s infection.
We are awaiting genome sequencing results for Case B.
The health care workers wore PPE while conducting their work, but we know this virus is tricky and has thwarted our systems before.
As we have done after other events, a review will be undertaken at the managed isolation facility at the Sudima to assess where procedures could be improved to prevent similar infections in the future. These reviews have taken place at other managed isolation facilities and are part of our approach to continually improve how we manage COVID-19.
The Community and Public Health team in Christchurch has conducted detailed investigations including interviews and contact tracing and we are confident that there is only an extremely low risk of re-exposure from the health care workers to the mariners. The Community and Public Health team is working on an exit plan for the mariners, who will be transferred directly onto their ships once released from managed isolation.
