No New Cases Of COVID-19 For Fifth Consecutive Day

27 May 2020, 13:25 by Ministry of Health

For a fifth consecutive day, there are no new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand.

Our total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 remains at 1,154, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.

Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1,504.

There is one additional recovered case meaning this total is now 1,462. 21 cases remain active.

There are no additional deaths to report.

Currently, there is no one in New Zealand receiving hospital-level care for COVID-19. This follows the discharge of one person from Middlemore.

Yesterday our laboratories completed 4,279 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 267,435.

NZ COVID Tracer app
The NZ COVID Tracer app has now recorded 422,000 registrations – that’s an increase of 17,000 since this time yesterday.

We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of COVID-19.

We also recognise the work being done by businesses to get their unique QR codes up and running, with 17,000 posters having been created as of this morning.

Âwhina app
Following the launch of NZ COVID Tracer last week, a new mobile app, Âwhina, released by the Ministry of Health today will help health workers access the information they need about COVID-19.

Âwhina means health workers will be able to gain quick access to the latest information, such as case definitions, clinical care pathways and Personal Protective Equipment guidance.

Âwhina will give them access to this information from their mobile device anywhere, anytime.

The Ministry developed the new app with feedback from people working in the health sector, and by learning from approaches taken in other countries to get information about COVID-19 to health workers.

Getting out and about
Back in Alert Level 4, we saw how popular walking, cycling and other forms of active transport such as scooting became.

"With less traffic on the roads, enjoying the outdoors in this way was one of the enjoyable features of Level 4," says Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

"I know it gets harder with winter at hand and shorter days, but I would strongly encourage people to continue with active transport when they can. This could include walking or cycling if you have a short trip to work, to school, or the shops.

"You can expect to see councils providing more space for people walking and cycling, with temporary bike lanes and so. This is important because as traffic returns people need to feel safe continuing to cycle and walk in towns and cities.

"The Ministry of Health has been working with Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) and the Ministry of Transport around the public health benefits of walking and cycling and this will continue."