Wellington, New Zealand – New Zealand’s first case of coronavirus in the community for more than two months has been identified as the more contagious South African variant, leading Australia to suspend travel from neighboring countries for at least 72 hours.
A 56-year-old New Zealander, who recently returned from Europe, tested positive for the infectious strain on Saturday, ten days after completing her compulsory two weeks in isolation.
New Zealand has been widely praised for dealing with the pandemic, with only 25 deaths due to 1,927 confirmed virus cases in a population of five million.
The latest case is New Zealand’s first in the community since mid-November and has been classified as a more communicable species, and potentially resistant to the COVID-19 vaccines is currently being rolled out around the world.
CBS News
“This type of infection is the South African variant and the source of infection is probably a co-return,” said Health Minister Chris Hipkins.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was a matter of “great concern” and the growing possibility of transfer prompted his government to suspend its ‘travel bubble’ with New Zealand for a minimum of 72 hours .
“This will be done out of an abundance of caution while learning more about the event and the case,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“The changes take effect immediately.”
Hunt encouraged New Zealanders with a flight to Australia scheduled within the next three days to reconsider ‘their need to travel’, as they will have to go to a hotel quarantine for up to 14 days upon arrival.
It is suspected that the woman was quarantined during quarantine by a person on the same floor of the hotel who tested positive two days before departure.
Peter Meecham / AP
The 56-year-old traveled to the Northland region near Auckland after her release from quarantine and showed symptoms before being tested.
Two people close to her, including her husband, have meanwhile taken negative tests and Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health in New Zealand, said they probably avoided contracting the disease due to the type of infection.
“She did not talk about breathing symptoms, it was more muscle pain, and therefore she may not have shared or spread the virus much,” he said.
“I do not think it is peculiar to this variant, but just how it was expressed in this woman.”
The World Health Organization has said there is no clear evidence that the South African variant leads to serious illness or a higher mortality rate, but researchers from the country’s main government laboratory told CBS News it appears to be highly resistant to the antibodies that caused by previous infection. with the original strain of the coronavirus.
This raises the fear that it may be resistant to current vaccines, which are dependent on antibodies to prevent serious infections with the disease.
It is believed that another strain of the coronavirus was first detected in southern England and is spreading much faster around the world than the South African variant. can be more deadly, the British Prime Minister said on Friday.