The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield reported another death from COVD-19 today (Wednesday September 16), bringing New Zealand’s total number of deaths from the virus to 25.

The man was in his 50s and was a confirmed case of COVID-19 linked to the South Auckland cluster. He was admitted to Waikato Hospital on August 19, was transferred to ICU on August 26, and died yesterday afternoon.

Ashley said the man’s whanau asked the medical authorities to pass on a message to the country that “coronavirus is so real”, and to be very vigilant and cautious. 

“They have issued a plea to all New Zealanders: ‘if you are sick and have symptoms, stay home’,” he said.

For the second consecutive day no cases of community transmission were reported.

There is one new case of COVID-19 today, detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility. The new case is a woman in her 30s who arrived from Dubai on September 9. She is related to the three cases reported yesterday.

Today there are three people in hospital with COVID-19; two are in ICU. 

There are 57 people linked to the community cluster who remain in the Auckland quarantine facility, which includes 27 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their household contacts.

With today’s new case and four additional recovered cases, New Zealand’s  total number of active cases is 79. Of those, 27 are imported cases in quarantine facilities, and 52 are community cases.

New Zealand’s total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now 1,451. 

PHOTO: Supplied