1041 days ago

Weak positive Covid-19 case on the West Coast

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

Public health staff are investigating a weak positive Covid-19 test result on the West Coast, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

Repeat testing is under way to establish whether the Hokitika case is acute or historical, a ministry spokeswoman said.

People who had the virus may continue to shed fragments of it for some weeks after they have recovered, without being infectious to others.

The ministry on Monday evening published a single location of interest, New World Hokitika, “out of an abundance of caution”, she said.

The woman, who is double-vaccinated, is a worker at Besgrow’s Coastpak Sphagnum Moss​ factory in Hokitika. She tested returned two positive tests after returning from a holiday in the North Island, Besgrow managing director Anthony Washington said.

Besgrow is testing any staff who have recently travelled to the North Island when they return to work, using rapid antigen tests. The woman took the test in her car when she came back to the factory on Monday morning and took a PCR test afterwards, which also came out positive on Monday afternoon, he said.

“We are really happy that everything we have put in place has captured [the case] early and stopped any potential infection in the community,” Washington said.

The person who tested the woman at the factory was in full PPE and is now isolating too, he said.

The company ordered 300 rapid antigen tests before Christmas to cover 25 employees and has just ordered more to continue testing staff returning from locations of interest, Washington said.

It is the first case that has been recorded on the West Coast for 22 months, after a historical case was also confirmed on the coast yesterday. The historical case, who had Covid-19 in the past but had since recovered, was recorded in yesterday’s Ministry of Health official figures. The weak positive case is yet to appear in the official tally.

West Coast District Health Board (DHB) senior responsible officer for Covid-19 Philip Wheble​ said the DHB had set up additional testing capacity at the Hokitika Health Centre for the next two days.

A pop-up testing clinic is operating at Hokitika Health Centre from 10.30am to 12pm; 1.30pm – 3pm, Tuesday and Wednesday. Testing is free for anyone with symptoms or who has been advised to get tested by public health, but people should phone Healthline to make an appointment, the Ministry of Health said.

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Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.

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As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄

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What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?

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When should the tree go up? 🎄
  • 4.6% Second half of November
    4.6% Complete
  • 43.5% 1st December
    43.5% Complete
  • 17.5% A week before Christmas
    17.5% Complete
  • 33.3% Whenever you wish
    33.3% Complete
  • 1.1% Other - I'll share below
    1.1% Complete
2338 votes