New Zealand Sets Second Record of Daily COVID-19 Infections in Three Days, No Indonesians Infected

Ilustrasi vaksinasi COVID-19 di Selandia Baru. (Wikimedia Commons/Catsandthings)

JAKARTA - New Zealand reported a record daily COVID-19 case for the second time in three days on Thursday, as the Delta variant continued to spur a spike in infections in the country's biggest city, Auckland.

Authorities reported 102 new COVID-19 infections, 94 of them in Auckland, bringing the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,260. There have been a total of 28 deaths since the pandemic began and 46 people are currently hospitalized with the virus.

New Zealand was one of the few countries to remain COVID-19 free, until the Delta variant came and broke out in the country in mid-August, spreading throughout Auckland and the neighboring region, leading to a stringent restriction of some 1.7 Auckland residents which was extended further. this week.

Authorities say infections are likely to increase until vaccination rates increase and have urged people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine immediately, a call repeated by Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson on Thursday.

"The bottom line is, vaccines are key to keeping you, your family and your community safe," Robertson said at a news conference.

"We are dealing with this outbreak with higher vaccination rates than is possible in other countries. We are in a strong position, but we need to build on it and see more people vaccinated", he continued

While strict restrictions in Auckland for more than two months have not slowed the outbreak, New Zealand's cumulative burden of 4.956 confirmed cases is much lower than many comparable countries.

To note, about 68 percent of New Zealanders have been fully vaccinated, while 86 percent have received at least one dose.

The New Zealand government is turning away from its COVID-19 free strategy, to learn to coexist with the virus. On Wednesday it said high school students in some areas would return to classrooms on Tuesday.

Separately, the Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya, said that to date, no Indonesian citizens have reported being infected with COVID-19.

"Alhamdulillah, so far, no Indonesian citizens have reported being infected with COVID-19 to the Indonesian Embassy," he explained on the sidelines of a virtual press statement at 'Pacific Exposition 2', adding that cases of COVID-19 infection in New Zealand are usually private.