Coronavirus Update #25

October 2 - No new cases today! And even better news, the one person remaining in the hospital has been discharged.

The big covid news is Trump, of course. The Trump Health Watch has made headlines in New Zealand. The crazy thing is reading all of the commentary on it. There’s everything from the “hopes & prayers” and pleas to God/higher power to he-lies-about-everything-why-should-we-believe-this to all of the bleach and hydroxychloroquine jokes. It is remarkable how far the US has fallen into squaller and honestly how predictable this was (assuming it is true. Trump wanted to discredit the media and - I hate to say - he has successfully done that.) I don’t wish covid on anyone, but geez. The guidance to avoid big groups and wear masks was out there for a reason. If you make stupid decisions and take risky actions, it is entirely plausible that you’ll get covid when it is running rampant around you.

October 3 - There is one new case in managed isolation today and there have been no new community cases since September 24. It is really looking good that this second wave may be on its way to dying out. How fabulous would it be to be back to no cases out in the community. I realize that with all of the cases coming into the country with covid, it is likely that there will be another outbreak or infected quarantine staff, but right now getting back to normal is within sight. And its pretty exciting.

October 4 - There are five new cases today, but all are recent returnees in managed isolation. There is a general expectation that tomorrow Jacinda will announce that Auckland will join the rest of the country in Level 1 on Wednesday. While there are still a number of people coming into the country with covid, the community cases are dwindling to almost nothing.

October 5 - There is one new case today - yet another returnee. But that’s not the big news today. The big news is that Auckland will move down to Level 1 on Wednesday at midnight. This means there are no more limits on gatherings and no more requirements for social distancing. Mask wearing is encouraged on public transportation, but no longer required. It has been 11 days since the last community case, and there has only been 1 community case in the past two weeks. The last community case that wasn’t already isolating happened on September 20 - 15 days ago. Apparently the modelling shows that there is a 95% chance that the outbreak is eliminated. So on Thursday morning when we wake up, everything will be back to “normal.”

October 6 - There are three new managed isolation cases today and unfortunately one person is in the hospital. Everything is still on track for Auckland to return to Level 1 on Wednesday despite the six active community cases. However, the government is stressing to the public that just because we’re at Level 1, it doesn’t mean we get to be completely lax. They’re still encouraging people to use the Covid Tracer App and to practice good hygiene. My guess? The number of people checking in with the App will be next to nothing by Thursday. It is too easy to go back to how things were pre-covid.

October 7 - There are again three new managed isolation cases today and (drumroll, please) there are no more active community cases! This is just in time for our change to Level 1 tonight, and I’ve got to say, I feel a lot better about the move knowing that there is very little chance of there being an unknown community outbreak lurking somewhere. I know we’re still at risk as people continue to fly in with the disease and they are putting hotel and healthcare workers at risk, but it is nice to know that we’re back in our happy little bubble.

October 8 - There are two new managed isolation cases and one historic case, but the biggest news is that Auckland is back to Level 1. I was pleasantly surprised to see a handful of people wearing masks at the grocery store today and a few people continuing to use the QR codes on the front of every store to check in with the Covid Tracer App. I know that there will inevitably be some more cases that slip past the border, but I’m hopeful that our contact tracing processes have improved enough that maybe we won’t have to go into a general lockdown again.

New Zealand has had 1,508 confirmed cases and 356 probable cases, but currently there are only 39 active cases, all at the border. There is one person in the hospital. More than half of the remaining cases (22) are between the ages of 20 to 40.

And this, my friends, will hopefully be my last coronavirus update for a long, long time. Thanks for reading my weekly updates. It is fascinating to go back to the beginning and see how things progressed in New Zealand. There was so much we didn’t know at the beginning of this madness, and it is amazing how 2020 has changed how we live and what we care about. Stay safe. Stay home if you live somewhere where covid is rampant. Be kind.