4 years ago
New Zealand becomes corona virus free with zero active case
New Zealand reported zero active cases of Covid-19 for the first time since the pandemic reached its peak; it hasn’t reported any new cases for 17 days indicating it has successfully pulled off its aim of eliminating the virus.
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to announce a lifting of all remaining lockdown restrictions on people and businesses for reopening and taking back life to normalcy.
The last of its corona virus patients has recovered making the nation one of the few countries in the world to have successfully eliminated the virus.
New Zealand strictly followed an easily understandable elimination strategy rather than suppressing transmission of the virus. It imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, making everyone to stay at home and allowing most needed essential services only.
Though, the government faced criticism regarding the low income generators at the beginning saying that the New Zealand’s response to the virus was too extreme. But the measures seem to worth at last with zero active cases and taking a cautious approach to the elimination milestone.
The Ministry of Health’s definition of elimination is 28 days of no new cases after the last person to have contracted the virus via community transmission left quarantine, which would be achieved on June 15.
The theory behind New Zealand’s elimination strategy is that Covid-19 has a longer incubation period than influenza -an average of five to six days and as long as two weeks, compared with just two to three days for the flu.
That means authorities have time to identify and isolate those who have been in contact with an infected person before they themselves become infectious.
New Zealand recorded a total of 1,504 confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 and 22 deaths. It hasn’t had a new case for 17 days.
