There are four more cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in the community, all linked to yesterday's case. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this morning (Wednesday August 18) told media the new cases include a fully vaccinated nurse from Auckland City Hospital.

Auckland District Health Board (DHB) is moving to reduce the risk of an outbreak, including testing staff members who were in the same areas as the nurse.

Three of the cases are household contacts of the Devonport 58-year-old man at the centre of the outbreak, while one is a workplace contact. The man has also been confirmed to have the Delta variant.

He works as a tradesman and seven of the locations of interest named yesterday are private homes. He'd also watched the All Blacks game at a bar in the Coromandel, with up to 90 other patrons.

The Auckland nurse works on ward 65 of the hospital, the NZ Herald reports, which provides inpatient general medical care.

Jacinda said the new cases confirm level four is the right decision.

"These measures have worked before and they will work again."

The move to alert level four means changes to the way Southern DHB Hospitals will be providing care over the next few days.

"Our priority is the safety of our patients and staff and we are putting well prepared plans in place,”SDHB chief executive Chris Fleming said.

"Our healthcare facilities remain open and the public should seek medical care if they need it."

Hospital appointments

A move to alert level four means the majority of scheduled surgeries and outpatient appointments will be postponed for the next three days and will then be reassessed depending on any changes to alert levels. This includes home visits from community teams. 

If you are a member of the public with a scheduled surgery or outpatient appointment in the next three days this is postponed unless you are contacted by the DHB.

Visitors

Under alert level four no visitors are allowed in our hospitals unless on compassionate grounds. Visitors who believe they should be able to visit on these grounds are asked to discuss this with the charge nurse manager on the ward. 

Children in hospital

If a child is being assessed, treated or has been admitted to hospital, one parent may stay in hospital with them. 

Covid-19 vaccination programme

The Covid-19 vaccination programme is suspended for 48 hours. If you have an appointment in the next three days please do not attend. More information will be provided about rebooking in the coming days.

Covid-19 Testing

If you have any Covid-19 symptoms please contact your GP or call 0800 VIRUS-19 (0800 847 8719). There is capacity for testing and more testing sites will be opened if required.

Visited Auckland or the Coromandel since Thursday 12 August?

Please check the Ministry of Health website for places of interest and follow advice if you have visited any of these sites.

Please follow alert level four advice:

• Everyone must now stay home.
• From 11:59pm on Tuesday August 17 you can only leave home to shop for groceries, access necessary healthcare, get a Covid-19 test, exercise in your local area or go to work if you are working in an alert level four service, and you cannot work from home.
• Only make physical contact with those in your household bubble.