New Zealand now has zero coronavirus hospitalizations

New Zealand’s last hospitalized coronavirus patient was discharged Wednesday as the country’s infection rate dipped to below two dozen people, health officials said in reports.

The unnamed patient left an Auckland area hospital as the Pacific island nation reported only 21 infected people remaining — and no new cases of the deadly illness in at least five days, according to CBS News.

The low infection numbers will likely lead to lifted lockdown measures within weeks, according to officials, who are already allowing gatherings of up to 100 people.

“The increase in gathering size means we now have some of the most permissive settings of any of the countries we compare ourselves to, including Australia,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference earlier this week.

“Going hard and early [with lockdown measures] has paid off for the economy, and now we need to just continue the level of vigilance that has got us here,” she said, according to SBS News.

She added, “We are still in a global pandemic. Cases continue to grow overseas, and we do still have people coming home, but for the most part, many aspects of life can and should feel much more normal.”

New Zealand — which has been praised for its quick and decisive response to the pandemic — closed its borders on March 19 and implemented a strict stay-at-home order the same week.

Overall, the number of new infections reported in the country has remained steady in recent weeks, with no new cases in the last five days and only three since May 11.

The nation has also carried out 267,435 tests and has nearly another 200,000 more testing kits available, officials said.

In total, the country has reported 1,504 infections and a death toll of 21, which has not increased since May 6.