Thirteen more crew members from the quarantined fishing vessel Viking Bay have tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health says.
All of the infected crew members, including two who previously tested positive, have been moved to an on-shore quarantine facility in Wellington.
Five other crew members, who are remaining on board to maintain the vessel, have returned negative test results to date. They will be subject to additional tests in the coming days.
Of the infected crew, 12 are regarded as being in the early stages of their infection. One has returned a result indicating either a very early infection or a historical infection. Further testing is planned for today.
The Ministry of Health says plans are in place for managing the remaining five crew members should any of them develop symptoms or be confirmed with COVID-19 from further testing.
More than half the ship's crew have been at sea since February. Nine other members joined the crew after arriving in New Zealand on July 5 as part of a scheduled crew change.
The infected crew members will be kept in isolation until they have completed their 14 days isolation and recovered.
This is breaking news - more to come.
