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Summary
- On 1 February 2021, New Zealand reported zero new case of COVID-19.
- 1,947 total confirmed coronavirus cases reported in New Zealand by 31 January 2021.
- Investigations underway to find out the cause of widespread infection at the Pullman Hotel.
NZ Ministry of Health updated on 1 February 2021 that it recorded zero new COVID-19 case. It was further reported that the previously reported single case has also recovered now. Besides this, there was another case which has now been classified as ‘under investigation’, which means it could be a possible historical case of the infection.
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Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, the Director General of Health is of the view that while waiting for the PCR report of the patient or the serology results, it is said that the case is “under investigation”. However, if the case is reclassified as into the historical category, they will be tallied with the overseas accounts to figure out whether they have already been taken into consideration yet.
The plan of action is such that these cases remain in the “under investigation” category till the time their status is confirmed.
As on 31 January 2021, the number of tests conducted in NZ laboratories were 3,017. It was further added that:
- The total number of proceeded cases was recorded as 1,535,292.
- New Zealand has recorded 1,947 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far.
- There are 69 confirmed COVID-19 active cases recorded in New Zealand right now.
It was further revealed by Chris Hipkins the Health Minister, that everyone that had previously stayed at the Pullman hotel, where several cases were suspected, have been contacted.
Out of those only 5 have not been tested yet, they are going to receive through the tests today.
The government revealed that they had trusted the returnees from the hotel to get tested on their own if the health officials reached out to them. They guests were all traced down in a span of 48 hours and their test results are currently being awaited. There shall be an update released after the ESR testing at the Pullman hotel is complete.
While there are several theories about what could have been the reason for the mass spread of the virus in the hotel, the real reason may almost never be able to be found.
While technical section is of the view that it was an airborne transmission rather than a surface based one, it is yet to be determined exactly how things did pan out. An air-conditioner vent theory is also making rounds, but nothing has been proven yet. The investigation to find out the cause is still underway.
