New Zealand has eliminated coronavirus

[Porpoises]

I keep seeing posters saying "well we'll all have to catch it sooner or later". It's not true. If the government had the political will and competence, they could pursue an elimination goal.

New Zealand has eliminated coronavirus, no new cases today. They locked down early, semi-closed their borders and are aggressively testing, tracking and isolating people exposed. This means they can ease lockdown with everyone safe. They will obviously have to be vigilant in case they have missed cases, but it looks like they will succeed in getting coronavirus free.

Wish I could emigrate - but for obvious reasons they're not accepting visitors right now!

www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-52436658

Silent pool true - if they keep their borders shut for the next decade - happy days!

Manuka honey ffs autocorrect

NZ's economy relies on being open to the world.

Let's wait and see how long NZ can remain closed and remain solvent. Hopefully a vaccine comes about soon and Kiwis have access to it (not least so I can go to NZ to see the family without 2 weeks quarantine each end 😂).

They’ll need to keep it that way until there’s a vaccine as if (and that’s an if) the rest of the world are building up immunity, they will need to keep people and it out, long term.

They have to have no new cases for twice the length of the incubation period. That's the criteria for elimination of a disease

And then shut their borders until the whole world has eliminated it 🤷‍♀️

That’s all very well- until they open the borders to other countries and boom 💥

Sheep, lanolin, manuka and I forgot about Les Mills 😂

I live n NZ. It’s economy is based on agriculture, forestry and tourism. Whilst the UK faffed about with herd immunity for a few weeks, NZ took decisive action and went into a much tougher lockdown than the UKs. Yes we’re a tiny nation but our economy is based on exports so by shutting the borders we placed human life above money. The UK didn’t which is why it is no facing an almost impossible task of trying to beat a virus which is out in the community unchecked.
The UK is roughly the same size as NZ and despite having a much bigger population, it could have shut its borders and its economy down to beat this virus. It chose to protect its economy instead. Vietnam took decisive action and has beaten the virus as well. It could have been done.

I think their biggest export is milk/dairy, China is their main trading partner (about a third) with Australia next. They are massively in bed with China. Tourism is massive so they'll need to sort that pdq although they are going into winter so have a few months.

They have done well to overcome this and I hope their 0 cases continues. As others have said much as they like to compare to the UK there is no comparison, Auckland population is only 1.5million - it's pretty spread out, not living on top of each other, no tube system etc.

I think people will realise the importance of living somewhere safe after this. I've been impressed with Jacinda and they clear message they have sent out, unlike our own government.

Customs won't just be looking for stray apples in handbags and 2 tonne of fresh seafood suitcases, now it will be any plastic packaging or products which could harbour coronavirus for 72 hours... 🤣

Australia shut their borders and didn't have any flu in the 1918 flu pandemic I think. Need to check that.

@lavenderbongo how great - but how will NZ keep it out? 0 immunity in a country that relies on people visiting (with no 2 week quarantine). Will your country make no money until there's a vaccine?

Until we are through this pandemic, it's much too early for smug condemning of how various countries handle this.

The UK might be the same size but we have millions more people packed in and are a huge travel hub.

Yep 👍🏻

@CountFosco

It tried, but failed...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/postcolonial-blog/2020/mar/13/how-spanish-flu-nearly-ripped-apart-australias-fledgling-federation

Until we are through this pandemic, it's much too early for smug condemning of how various countries handle this.

Totally agree.

I'm not sure what NZ is going to do from now until there is a vaccine? Especially as, unlike the UK, there will be almost zero immunity amongst the population to slow transmission (if having had it does give immunity like with other viruses). They can't just lockdown and close borders indefinitely?

I guess test and trace will be the way, again, much easier in a country of 5 million than a country of 65 million!

I am very glad to see NZs progress being kiwi myself (living outside of NZ unfortunately). I think the decisive action has paid off and the country will ramp up exporting. Vietnam with a bigger population have got it well under control too with the same approach. I did debate the whole herd immunity point/can't lock down forever point with my family but frankly I'd rather be there than in the hotspot I am currently stuck in!

Vietnam has a population of 97 million and managed to eliminate it. By decisive quick action.
@shinebrightlikea As far as I’m aware scientists have yet to confirm that people who have had Covid-19 are immune.
Again - NZ’s economy will have to adapt as our borders will have to remain closed for the foreseeable future. However I think the price is worth paying - they predicted thousands and thousands of deaths if they had taken no action.

shutting the borders we placed human life above money

It's a huge gamble. If the rest of the world can produce a vaccine quickly, and are willing to share the 1st batches with NZ, the gamble will pay off. NZ would have struggled financially to deal with a massive coronavirus epidemic - obesity, diabetes, heavy drinking are widespread and of course BAME is considered to be a factor in severity of illness. So, in that sense, closure was a good move. However any vaccine could be a year or more away for NZ. Can it financially survive as a closed state for that long?

NZ had its arguably most significant financial catastrophe in only 1987 (after the initial 70s catastrophe of the UK joining the EU and taking that agricultural market with it), surviving virtual bankruptcy by a whisker through methodology which is controversial to this day. NZ then survived the GFC thanks to considerable investment from China. It would be difficult to survive another major catastrophe in such a short period of time without considerable input from China - potentially a catastrophe in and of itself.

A rapidly developed, produced and distributed vaccine will be pivotal in the future geopolitical direction of NZ.

Sheep, lanolin, manuka and I forgot about Les Mills 😂

Gotta love body combat.

Sweden has no lockdown and there is speculation that if they get a second wave it won't be as deadly.

m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/15/sweden-coronavirus-rates-easing-despite-loose-rule/

My own opinion is that the looser the lockdown the less severe the second wave will be.

It appears that the WHO has warned that there is no evidence that you immunity occurs after infection from Covid-19.

smug

This might be our most prolific export. 🤔

@lavenderbongo again - they have eliminated it for now. We are at the very beginning of this pandemic. Vietnam also heavily rely on tourism for survival.

So I'm wondering what theirs and NZ plan is long term?

Let's face it, if there's no immunity then the whole world is a bit fucked. NZ can't keep people out for years, until there's a vaccine.

It appears that the WHO has warned that there is no evidence that immunity occurs after infection from Covid-19

This is semantics. They have to say this because they can't prove the opposite