No new cases of COVID-19 today

There are no new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand today.

Minister of Health Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield provided a COVID-19 update at 1pm today.

Dr Bloomfield says five cases have now recovered, bringing the total number of active cases in the country to 22.

None of these people require hospital-level care, he says.

It has been 95 days since the last case of COVID-19 was locally acquired from an unknown source.

There were 1608 COVID-19 tests completed in New Zealand yesterday.

Both Dr Bloomfield and Hipkins emphasised the importance of having a good baseline of testing rates at the border and within the community.

Dr Bloomfield says we need to remain confident there is no community transmission of the virus in New Zealand.

Hipkins says everybody with relevant COVID-19 symptoms should be getting tested.

He says the government will use pop-up clinics when not enough tests are being done at GPs.

Yesterday there were two new COVID-19 cases in managed isolation.

The Ministry of Health says the first case was a teenager who arrived to New Zealand from the USA on July 29.

He tested positive for COVID-19 as part of routine testing around day 3 of his stay in managed isolation at the Sudima Hotel in Auckland, and has since been transferred to the quarantine facility.

The second case is a man in his 20s who arrived in New Zealand from Switzerland via Amsterdam and Seoul on July 20.

He has been staying at the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch and tested negative around day 3 of his stay, then tested positive at his second routine test.

This case again emphasises the importance of testing returnees in managed isolation twice before they are able to leave the facility, says the Ministry of Health.

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