Taranaki records first new COVID-19 cases for 2022

5 January 2022

Today Taranaki DHB is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 in the community.

These are the first cases of the New Year which takes the region’s total number of active cases to four, including two who are still recovering from the Eltham cluster.

The new cases are from the same household and both people are in isolation together in New Plymouth.

COVID-19 Response Manager, Gillian Campbell says investigations are underway to determine if the people are linked to any current clusters.

“At this stage we’re waiting for genome sequencing to get a better understanding of where the virus has come from. These people have been between the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki over the New Year holiday so our Public Health team is working to identify any locations of interest which may pose a risk to the public.

“We can confirm that Taranaki Base Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) has been identified as an exposure event in early January and we are working with those who may be affected, including staff.

“We have completed a risk assessment of ED and no staff have had to be stood down.

“ED will be listed as a location of interest on the Ministry of Health’s website. Casual contacts need to be aware of exposure between 6.30pm on Saturday 1 January – 12.00am on Sunday 2 January. Anyone who was in ED during this time should follow the advice from the Ministry of Health.”

Testing rates have been low across the New Year holiday with 276 tests completed throughout the region.

The new cases are a reminder to be extra vigilant at this busy time of year, says Mrs Campbell.

“With so much travel around the country right now it’s important people stay alert to even mild COVID-19 symptoms. People have been away in other regions, and we have visitors from out of the region, so it could be the perfect breeding ground for COVID-19 to come into our community.

“Please don’t delay getting tested if you have any cold or flu-like symptoms, get tested to be sure,” says Mrs Campbell.

Testing centres are open daily at Taranaki Base Hospital from 9am – 3pm and Hāwera Hospital from 10am – 2pm with the ability to increase hours if there is demand.