New Zealand Records First Covid-Related Death In 6 Months
Wellington: New Zealand noted death related to its first covid in six months Saturday, but the health authority said there were signs of a very contagious Delta variant to be controlled.
A woman in his 90s, who has a healthy health condition and cannot accept ventilators or intensive care support, died at Auckland Hospital on Friday night.
He was the 27th person to die with Covid-19 in New Zealand and who was first recorded since February 16 this year.
Authorities said the woman was a household contact from someone who had tested the positive virus in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand with a population of around 1.7 million.
New Zealand has struggled against the Coronavirus outbreak since the case that was transmitted locally in six months was detected in mid-August, encouraging five million countries into locking.
Since then, 782 cases have been recorded, especially in Auckland, which remain at the highest level of limitation while other countries have reduced the restrictions.
The death is “a very sad reminder of why the steps we do today are very important,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
“Our older New Zealand and those who have the underlying health problems are the most risky of the virus, and one of the reasons of locking is a very important tool to stop the spread.”
Only 20 new positive cases were reported on Saturday, down from the peak in the latest 84 outbreak last weekend.
Caroline Mcenlay, Director of Public Health, has described the decline amount during the past week as “encouraging” and said, “We are successful in breaking the transmission chain.”
