NZ back into lockdown.

[Malin52]

1 case in the community. All of NZ back into lockdown Level 4 because no link to border found.

Hard and fast.

It's because loads of people like this isolated, restricted, rule bound and low energy way of living yep my parents say they are gutted that life is returning to normal

[quote MyDcAreMarvel]**@QueenofKattegat* I am really dismayed to see how many people still support lockdowns as 'normal' and the default go-to.* well it’s not normal, but you would rather the nhs was overwhelmed and hundreds of thousands of people died so the healthy can have business as usual?[/quote]
Yes, mm hmm, that's exactly what I said. Very perceptive of you!

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

We've been to slow I think while basking in in our Covid free environment.

From the outside looking in, you've been bonkers. It's really disappointing to watch - a total missed opportunity to vaccinate in advance.

That's true but what impetus do people have to get it as they think they are risk free

@NannyAndJohn

Now THAT is proper leadership.

Maybe if everywhere else did the same then Covid would be all but gone?

But we waited until the deaths started piling up and now there's no way out.

I think you will find we have a way put, whereas NZ may not have a way out if delta spreads with minimal vaccination levels.

@MauisLeftNipple

We had recently returned to NZ from the UK and were in Dunedin in the South Island when we saw a vaccination clinic. We were absolutely astonished that this clinic was next to the food court in a shopping mall and there was no PPE being used whatsoever. Despite the lack of Covid it seemed poor practice. Where we live now there are clinics held in GP surgeries with tiny waiting rooms, but also large church halls. They have had surplus vaccinations the last 2 weeks and have put shout outs for walk ins for all ages.

The vaccine roll out here has been far too slow. Far too slow. They are going to have a hard time convincing the population that they will have to live with covid going forward.

I think this is my concern for NZ.

The success of their strategy so far has lulled them into a false sense of security.

But they are potentially in a very vulnerable position with Delta and their vaccine roll out being slow and other covid precautions we would see in the uk as an absolute basis.

Until they get the results back on this case and can link it to other cases they don't know where they are. And If they can't link it, all bets are off.

It does not strike me that the country is set up for an outbreak. Again potential complacency.

Also a level 4 closure can only be extremely short from a practical point of view. But if they see more cases and a similar situation to Australia developing where more cases appear despite a lock down then that a concern. (uk lockdowns have seen cases rise initially then fall but this isn't the pattern with New South Wales). Then what?

If NZ has put all its eggs in one basket on strategy and its caught out, hard questions will be asked if it does happen.

I personally don't want any country to be caught in a situation where they've cocked it up. Bragging rights isn't helpful.

One of the things about a zero covid strategy was always that despite all the plaudits, its success / failure can not be measured until we've got to the end of the pandemic stage and hailing its success before than was always premature...

It's because loads of people like this isolated, restricted, rule bound and low energy way of living. There's been a lot of gratuitous enjoyment of lockdown life and it also gives sanctimonious types the opportunity to virtue signal. People love it and are terrified of a return to "normal"

That’s a lot of words to say you decide peoples opinions without listening to them.

I wonder if the confirmed case there is delta? Does anyone know?

Yes it is, and there are another four confirmed cases.

@Mandalay246

I wonder if the confirmed case there is delta? Does anyone know?

Yes it is, and there are another four confirmed cases.

There was a large rugby match between the All Blacks and Wallabies last weekend (which the 1st known case was watching in a pub in the Coromandel) so it's entirely possible there have been multiple mass spreader events, including at Eden Park.

i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/300384530/nz-rugby-chief-mark-robinson-pleased-with-25000-at-eden-park-for-bledisloe-ii

5 new cases confirmed overnight.
I am dreading a longer lockdown. I live alone half the time (50:50 care of DS, who is 11). I was so lonely and the prospect of that again, whilst also trying to teach classes online, fills me with more than existential dread.

So much ignorance on this thread which is a shame as there is an interesting discussion to be had about how we communicate the need to reopen NZ once vaccination is fully rolled out. Locking down when you have less than 1 million fully vaccinated is not "batshit crazy" but a sensible response for our country. Our health service would be overwhelmed with an uncontrolled outbreak right now. As a pp mentioned, we also have the responsibility of looking after our indigenous population who would be most affected if this were to spread out of control. We do not want to end up like NSW. Unlike Australia our government hasn't put a figure on the number of people it wants to see vaccinated before opening up but we know it needs to be very high (97% was mentioned a while back). People seem to be enthusiastic in taking up the vaccine now and hopefully if nothing else this outbreak will spur a few more on to book their jabs. A friend who is a vaccinator tells me that they will be able to vaccinate 12-15 year olds from next week, which is great news if true. I do agree with pp that closing vaccination centres for 48 hours is bonkers. A plan for this eventuality should have been in place!

97%!!! That ain't never gonna happen

It wouldnt even be theoretically possible to have 97% of the population vaccinated as things stand as no vaccine has been approved for the under 12s.

we also have the responsibility of looking after our indigenous population who would be most affected if this were to spread out of control

That sentence doesn't sit right with me. It's very infantalising about your fellow adult citizens.

The 97% came from an epidemiologist I think. I agree that it is unachievable but I believe it was mentioned to drive home the need for as many people to be vaccinated as possible. We know we will get outbreaks when we open up. Expanding our health capacity with regards to this was mentioned in the report released last week.

There are four new community cases of Covid-19, including a fully vaccinated nurse at Auckland Hospital - all have the Delta variant and all are linked to the Devonport case that saw New Zealand enter a snap lockdown overnight.

^Health officials are making immediate moves to try to reduce the risk of an outbreak at the hospital.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the four new cases were confirmed last night - a co-worker of the initial Devonport case and three close contacts of the co-worker.

The new cases include a fully vaccinated nurse from Auckland City Hospital, who was working in recent days.

And

In Devonport, almost 100 cars are backed up 600m down Seabreeze Rd, as people wait for a test. In total, about 140 cars are in line, including those in the Woodall Park carpark where testing is occurring.

Sharon, an essential worker from Devonport, had just joined the queue. She had been at the Northcote testing centre last night but was turned away due to high demand. She said about 40 cars would have been turned away with her.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-community-cases-new-zealand-lockdown-four-new-delta-cases-including-auckland-hospital-nurse/POMPLK26VEGC66TNYMJUAHDZEI/

New cases are concerning. And the fact that after asking people to test, there isn't enough capacity to apparently meet demand is also a worry and raises more questions.

A friend who is a vaccinator tells me that they will be able to vaccinate 12-15 year olds from next week

That’s odd, my 61 year old sister only had her first dose last week.

97% vaccination is impossible! However they need to bloody get on with it. Currently their population is locked in never mind locked down. Unable to travel even for the most compelling and tragic compassionate reasons because it’s impossible to get an isolation slot. It’s not sustainable.

Not infantilizing at all, MaxNormal. Perhaps I phrased it badly but it is a sad fact that Maori (and Pacific islanders) have the worst health outcomes in this country. Modeling shows that these populations stand to suffer most in an outbreak.

What I don’t get is how many NZ people aren’t angry about the slow vaccine rollout but instead are all ‘thanks queen Jacinda for protecting us with lockdowns’. It’s bizarre. If she had done her job the country wouldn’t be going into lockdown over a few cases.

While I obviously don't want to watch people get seriously ill and die, I do think that it will be interesting to see how things pan out in NZ over the next few days/weeks, and whether it is indeed possible to contain the Delta variant? The fact that one of the positive cases is double vaccinated surely shows that zero Covid is an impossibility for NZ?

PinkTonic I think it very much depends where you live. The vaccine rollout has been great in some areas, not so much in others. They are well above target in my area. I'm in my 40s and had my first jab last week. We do need to bloody get on with it. This slow rollout could end up to be our undoing.

Not infantilizing at all, MaxNormal. Perhaps I phrased it badly but it is a sad fact that Maori (and Pacific islanders) have the worst health outcomes in this country. Modeling shows that these populations stand to suffer most in an outbreak.

I agree that the large number of very high risk people in these populations poses a very serious challenge for the NZ government unless vaccine uptake rates are high. Do you have any data on this?

I watched some of the Big Announcement from Jacinda last week and the unlocking plan from next year looks to include these snap lockdowns as they are still chasing eradication. I have elderly parents there whom I would love to see but don’t know when or how as MIQ places impossible to get.

"New cases are concerning. And the fact that after asking people to test, there isn't enough capacity to apparently meet demand is also a worry and raises more questions"

This happens every time. Every. Single. Time.

Here in NZ it's panic buying, or panic testing, and the shops, or testing stations are never ready.

www.nzma.org.nz/journal-articles/maori-and-pacific-people-in-new-zealand-have-a-higher-risk-of-hospitalisation-for-covid-19-open-access

Maori and pacific citizens have been prioritized for vaccination but I'm not sure how they're going with percentages vaccinated.

Yes to the panic buying, testing and unprepared testing stations. Every. bloody. time!

I wonder what the position will be whenever the ‘acceptable’ vaccination threshold is reached? IF it’s ever reached?!

‘I know we’ve said we won’t allow for anyone to die of this but now that x% of you are vaccinated we will now accept cases and deaths to spiral upwards.” Hard sell innit?