New Zealand says the drop in COVID-19 cases shows that the Delta blockade works

WELLINGTON, Sept. 2 (Reuters) – New Zealand on Thursday reported a drop in new COVID-19 infections, which authorities said was a sign that a nationwide closure would help limit the spread of the infectious variant of COVID-19. Delta.

Except for a few cases in February, New Zealand had been largely free of coronavirus until the Delta outbreak prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order the instant closure last month.

Authorities reported 49 new infections at the epicenter of the Auckland outbreak, a fall of 75 on Wednesday, which was 736.

“The latest lower number is encouraging and shows that our Level 4 alert blocker works, even against Delta,” Health Director General Ashley Bloomfield told a news conference.

Of the 42 hospitalized people infected with Delta, six were in intensive care units (ICUs) and three in ventilation, he added.

About 2 million people in the largest city in Auckland and the neighboring Northland region remain strictly closed level 4, but authorities have reduced the frequency elsewhere.

“Our cases are moving … this is not unusual,” Ardern told a news conference. “The important thing is that we see some positive trends.”

Northland will drop to alert level 3 from midnight, said Ardern, who aligned it with the rest of the country.

The Ardern closures and the closing of international borders since March 2020 have been accredited as COVID-19 councilors, largely freeing up the day-to-day activities of the curbs.

But the government faces questions about a delay in the deployment of vaccines, as well as about rising costs in a country that is heavily dependent on the immigrant workforce.

Just over a quarter of the 5.1 million population has been fully vaccinated, the slowest rate among the rich nations of the OECD grouping.

Praveen Menon Reports; Edited by Christian Schmollinger and Clarence Fernandez

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