The Ministry of Health has revealed there are 54 medical workers who have contracted COVID-19 in New Zealand.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says of this total, there are 17 nurses and seven doctors who have been infected. A further 20 support care workers, seven medical administrative staff and three medical students have also been diagnosed with the virus.
"We do know that around a quarter of those health workers affected have actually travelled back from overseas, so they've acquired their infection offshore," Dr Bloomfield said on Wednesday.
"We are working on a breakdown to determine those who have acquired the infection onshore here, what proportion was inside the workplace and what was outside the workplace."
His comments follow the confirmation that a further 50 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in New Zealand, taking the country's total to 1210. He said this number is made of 26 confirmed and 24 probable cases.
A total of 282 people have recovered. Twelve people are in hospital. Four are in intensive care, and two of those are in a critical condition.
Dr Bloomfield says there continues to be a strong link to overseas travel, with 41 percent of people having been infected this way. Forty-three percent of cases have a link to a confirmed case in New Zealand. Community transmission is at two percent, while the remainder is still under investigation.
