There are six new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand today (Wednesday August 19).

There is one case in managed isolation in a person who has arrived from Sydney, and the other five cases are in the community.

They have all been linked to the current Auckland cluster, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said.

These six new confirmed cases bring the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand to 1,299, the number reported to the World Health Organisation.

There are 125 people from the community who have been moved into the Auckland quarantine facility, which comprises 61 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 plus their household contacts.

There are five people with the virus receiving hospital level care, one in Auckland City and four in Middlemore.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today’s results are encouraging.

“We’re not seeing a surge in community cases, we’re not seeing any cases [today] outside that community cluster,” she said.

However, she said there are things which can be improved in the country’s response to the virus.

The PM announced three new measures.

The government has appointed a small team to support the comprehensive testing strategy approved by Cabinet in June. The team will be chaired by senior bureaucrat Heather Simpson, and will include members with public sector and health management skills, as the strategy cuts across multiple government agencies.

Business executive Sir Brian Roche has been appointed to work with the public health unit in Auckland to help manage contact tracing. He will report to Dr Bloomfield.

The government will also be deploying about 500 extra defence personnel into managed isolation, customs, and border control. This brings the number of defence staff deployed to 1200. The PM said this will enable the government to reduce its reliance on private security guards.

PHOTO: Supplied