There are no new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced on Tuesday.
It marks the fourth consecutive day of no new cases in the country, the last confirmed case announced during Friday's briefing.
The overall total of cases therefore remains at 1504, with 1154 of these cases recorded as confirmed. Just 22 cases are currently active in the country, with 1461 now recovered.
One person remains in hospital although they do not require intensive care.
There have been no new deaths, New Zealand's virus-related death toll remaining at 21.
On Monday, 1841 tests were processed, bringing the overall processed test total to 263,156.
"Our case numbers are low, our recovery rate is high and only one person is in hospital, so the hard work put in by New Zealanders means the Government was able to extend the group number size from 10 to 100, effective as of midday on Friday," Dr Bloomfield said.
On Monday, Cabinet reviewed the cap on social gatherings, extending the limit on events - including weddings and religious services - from 10 to 100 guests.
There are now 405,000 New Zealanders registered on the Government's NZ COVID Tracer app, with 15,500 QR-code posters downloaded and displayed by local businesses. Dr Bloomfield says this is roughly 25 percent of businesses considered as "active", predominantly hospitality venues and retail outlets.
Speaking on reports of users experiencing invalid QR codes and difficulties with the app, Dr Bloomfield said every report the ministry receives is being investigated.
"Every report we get, we look into - whether it relates to loading the app, registering or the use of the app. If there any problems with the codes, we will look into those. There are various channels for providing feedback... they are all looked at. We will fix any bugs in the system, but I ask people to persevere."
Dr Bloomfield noted that the border is now considered to be New Zealand's "riskiest area".
"We do not want to put the good progress we have made in jeopardy... international arrivals are a potential source of new infections in Aotearoa," he said.
The self-isolation period for new arrivals will remain as 14 days, he says, with roughly 8000 people completing their mandatory quarantine and returning to their homes.
Addressing reports of a potential vaccine being ready by September, Dr Bloomfield reiterated that most global health authorities agree 12 to 18 months remains as the expected and accepted time frame before a vaccine will be ready for distribution.
"We are all watching with interest. What is also clear is there is huge resource and focus going on to this... if countries combine technology and brain power, you can make rapid advances. We hope [a vaccine will be ready] within 12 to 18 months, if sooner that would be a bonus - but we should not expect anything," he said.
A weak positive test result can occur when a sample is "not good enough" or too small, he noted, addressing a question as to whether weak positives could potentially be COVID-19 antibodies.
"The PCR test is not an antibody test and won't find antibodies - they are found in a blood test. A weak positive test probably means the sample has only a small amount of the virus... perhaps a very small or not a good enough sample... and will be followed up with another test," he said.
