Seven new imported cases of COVID-19 have been detected in managed isolation and quarantine facilities (MIQ) over the past two days, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.
There is no new evidence of community transmission.
The first case arrived on December 13 from South Africa via the United Arab Emirates. This person tested positive following the onset of symptoms and has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, the Jet Park.
The second case arrived on December 14 from the United States. This person tested positive due to routine testing at around day three and has been transferred to a quarantine facility in Christchurch. Further information has found this is a historical case and has not been included in the total number of active cases.
The third arrived on December 15 from the United States and tested positive due to routine testing at around day three. They have also been transferred to a quarantine facility in Christchurch.
The next case arrived on December 15 from the Czech Republic via the United Arab Emirates. This person tested positive following the onset of symptoms at around day six and has been transferred to the quarantine facility in Auckland.
The fifth and sixth cases arrived on December 17 from the United States. They tested positive due to routine testing at around day three and have both been transferred to a quarantine facility in Christchurch.
The last case reported on Wednesday arrived on December 17 from the United Kingdom via Qatar. This person tested positive due to routine testing at around day three and has been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility.
Seventeen previously reported cases have now recovered, bringing the total number of active cases in New Zealand to 49. New Zealand's number of confirmed cases to date is 1772.
The total number of tests processed by laboratories to date is 1,381,545..
New Zealand national in Taiwan tests positive for COVID-19
Ministry of Health officials have been advised by their Taiwanese counterparts that a New Zealand national based in Taiwan has tested positive for COVID-19.
"Officials advise this person has not been in New Zealand while infectious and does not pose a public health risk to New Zealand."
As of Tuesday, the ministry was unaware of the positive case, telling Newshub in a statement that New Zealand officials had not been alerted to the man's diagnosis by Taiwanese authorities.
According to the country's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the man, who is a pilot for the Taiwanese international airline EVA Air, is believed to have contracted the virus during a trip to the US and subsequently infected two co-pilots on a later flight.
On Tuesday (local time), Taiwanese officials confirmed the country had recorded its first locally-acquired case in more than 200 days after a woman, a close contact of the Kiwi pilot, tested positive. The man has since been fined NT$300,000 for failing to inform authorities of his movements and activities while infectious.
UK COVID-19 variant
Health officials are continuing to closely monitor the situation in the United Kingdom, the ministry said, regarding the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant known as the B.1.1.7 strain.
NZ COVID Tracer
The Government's contact tracing technology, the NZ COVID Tracer app, now has 2,416,600 registered users.
Scans of QR code posters have reached 143,262,693 and app users have created 5,770,373 manual diary entries.
"As we prepare for the summer holiday break, the Ministry would like to remind all New Zealanders to keep each other safe and use the COVID Tracer app to scan QR codes and turn on Bluetooth functionality.
"This will allow you to receive an alert if you have been near another app user who tests positive for COVID-19. Find out more here."
