COVID-19 Update: 20 April 2020

We are at

of New Zealand’s four-level COVID-19 alert system. It is likely Level 4 measures will stay in place for a number of weeks. More information on alert levels.

• Everyone must now stay home, except those providing essential services.
• Only make physical contact with those that you live with.

Government COVID-19 Response Briefing

The All of Government COVID-19 National Response will provide an update at 4.00 pm today.

Note: there will be no media conference today at 1pm.

Speakers:

• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
• Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health

Ministry of Health Update:

• 9 new cases,  7 new confirmed cases and 2 new probable cases.
• Total of confirmed and probable cases is 1440.
• 974 people with COVID-19 who have recovered
• 14 people in hospital with COVID-19. The total includes three people in ICU – one each in Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals.
• Two of these ICU patients are in a critical condition.
• 16 significant clusters – no change from yesterday. 1 additional case has been added to one of these clusters.
• 3081 COVID-19 tests were processed. The rolling 7-day average is 3354, and 86,305 total tests have been processed to date.
• Waitemata DHB had test sites at two supermarket locations in Mangere and Henderson on Saturday. Over 400 samples were taken and have now come back with negative results.

Prime Minister Update:

• Lots of heavy-breathed sloganeering
• “We have stopped a wave of devastation.”
• She says the transmission rate is now 0.48. Overseas the average is 2.5.
• Almost all the cases since April 1 have been in relation to overseas travel.
• There are only 8 cases without an obvious connection to travel or an existing cluster.
• Random testing of over 1000 people has not found a single positive result.
• The Director General of Health is currently confident that there is no widespread undetected community transmission, Ardern says.
• This was one of the criteria for moving out of level 4
• New Zealand will move out of lockdown one week from today.
• We will then hold at alert 3 for two weeks before reviewing.
• Businesses and schools will be allowed to prepare this week for working next week – basically going in and cleaning etc.
• Schools will open for a teacher-only day on April 28, then the next day for anyone who wants to attend for years 1-10. It will be voluntary.
• Ardern says her intention is that Cabinet committees will resume under Alert Level 3 but this will be in the form of a mixture of communications.
• Level 3 does come with high trust and high expectation of New Zealanders, Ardern says.Police will still visible and be asking people why they are moving around – similar to Alert Level 4. But there will be more trust in this area.

Yesterday’s details:

• Death in Invercargill last week confirmed as Covid-19 related
• 9 new cases, 4 confirmed and 5 probable.
• 1431 cases in total and 912 recovered, up 45 on yesterday.
• 3 people in ICU
• 2 in critical condition.
• 4146 tests processed yesterday. Average 3151 is the rolling y day average. 83k conducted to date.
• 16 significant clusters
• 131 healthcare workers are confirmed or probable cases. 43 recovered.

COVID-19 – current cases

Notes:

1. A probable case is one without a positive laboratory result, but which is treated like a confirmed case based on its exposure history and clinical symptoms. For more details please refer to Case definition of COVID-19 infection.
2. Recovered cases are people who had the virus, are at least 10 days since onset and have not exhibited symptoms for 48 hours, and have been cleared by the health professional responsible for their monitoring.
3. The number of confirmed and probable cases reported in the last 24 hours includes cases which were entered on an earlier date as ‘under investigation’ or ‘suspected’ whose status has now been changed to confirmed or probable.

View details of confirmed and probable cases.

View details of significant COVID-19 clusters.

View testing data by region.

View interactive map and dashboard.

Confirmed and probable cases by DHB

Total cases by DHB in hospital

Note: Three of the 14 in hospital are in ICU as at 8.30 am 20 April 2020.

Download the Map of confirmed and probable cases by DHB (PDF, 282 KB).

Total cases in hospital by DHB

Source: ESR EpiSurv extract as at 09:00 20 April 2020

Epidemic Curve

Total Cases by Age and Gender

Ethnicity percentages of all cases

Transmission

This information refers to the 1,440 confirmed and probable cases as at 9.00 am 20 April 2020.

Lab testing and capacity

For a detailed break down of ethnicity and DHB region testing see Testing by region.

COVID-19 – tests by day and cumulative

Note: Two sets of cumulative test data have been reconciled to give cumulative total from 22 January 2020 when testing began.