Auckland is likely to remain in strict lockdown for several more weeks to stamp out NZ’s Delta outbreak

Auckland is likely to remain in strict lockdown for several more weeks to stamp out NZ’s Delta outbreak

Posted on by University of Canterbury

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Auckland is likely to remain in strict lockdown for several more weeks to stamp out NZ’s Delta outbreak

In a new article on The Conversation, UC’s Professor Michael Plank, UoA’s Professor Shaun Hendy, Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles and Manaaki Whenua researcher Rachelle Binny explain we must stay the course to ensure we can eliminate the Covid-19 outbreak.

Covid-19 lockdown

Photo credit: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Daily case numbers have continued to climb this week, with 68 new cases reported today, bringing the total to 277 cases. This rise is to be expected as contact tracers cast a wider net than before to work their way towards the edges of the fast-moving Delta clusters.

We now know that several superspreading events occurred before the outbreak was picked up, with a large number of people becoming infected at a church service on August 14. Incorporating data from contact tracing and testing makes it likely there were upwards of 200 people infected before New Zealand went into strict lockdown on August 18.

Given the scale of this outbreak, it’s likely that at least Auckland will need several more weeks at alert level 4 to stamp out community transmission.

The lockdown will have started to reduce transmission immediately but the lag time between being infected and getting a test means it takes time for the effect to filter through to reported case numbers.

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