Australia extends suspension of New Zealand travel bubble

All of the close contacts of the first case and five of the 11 close contacts of the subsequent two cases have tested negative, Australia’s acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said on Thursday. The remaining tests are still pending.

Health authorities are now trying to track down nine people who travelled from New Zealand to Australia and may be at risk of having the new strain.

“[We were] advised about a new case of COVID-19 in New Zealand on Sunday,” Professor Kidd said.

“On Monday, following rapid gene sequencing, authorities advised that that person was infected with one of the COVID variants of concern, the B1351 variant, which was first detected in South Africa in October. This new variant is more transmissible, and so presents a heightened level of risk.

“[It] is … 50 per cent more transmissible than previous strains of COVID-19.”

People arriving in Australia from New Zealand have had to go into hotel quarantine since Monday, and this new arrangement will now continue until Sunday, he said.

The Pullman Hotel in Auckland is the centre of the latest outbreak in New Zealand. Credit:Getty

“This allows for the continued protection of the people of Australia while the extent of the situation in New Zealand continues to be clarified.”

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday afternoon that New Zealand authorities told the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee of the new cases.

The AHPPC, the key decision-making committee for federal health emergencies, that all three confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community in New Zealand had been genomically linked to an international traveller in hotel quarantine in Auckland.

Of particular concern to the committee was the fact the fresh New Zealand outbreak is connected to the B.1.351 COVID-19 variant, which health authorities say has been shown to have higher transmissibility and therefore presents a heightened level of risk.

The B.1.351 variant is estimated to be 50 per cent more transmissible “based on the available evidence”, Mr Hunt said.

He also said the variant had spread to 26 countries, including to people who have arrived in Australia and who are in mandatory hotel quarantine.

The federal government accepted the recommendation of the AHPPC and Professor Kidd to extend the pause for a further three days.

The federal government also said quarantine arrangements, which are the responsibility of the states, might have to be reviewed for travellers from New Zealand.

In the meantime, Australian health authorities are trying to track down people who arrived in Australia after having been in quarantine at the Pullman Hotel.

“Twelve people who were in quarantine at the Pullman Hotel have arrived in Sydney, three have travelled on to Hong Kong and health authorities there have been notified,” Professor Kidd said.

“Two travelled onto Queensland, and authorities there have been notified.

“The others are all being followed up in NSW and are being tested.”

He said anyone who arrived from New Zealand since January 9 was now being asked to get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result, particularly if they stayed at the Pullman Hotel.

There have been no new cases of community transmission of the virus in Australia for 11 days.

NSW residents may have been exposed to the virus at the Pullman Hotel.

NSW Health has been notified of further exposure dates at the hotel, and is now contacting people who were there between December 30 and January 24, instructing them to also be tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

The vaccine rollout

Professor Kidd also said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations was on track to commence in late February, with 80,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine expected to be available every week.

Australia is also expecting to receive 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March “subject to approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and final shipping confirmation”, he said.

An agreement under which Australia will produce 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine onshore is expected to begin in late March and deliver 1 million doses every week.

“Because of our onshore manufacturing agreement … we have certainty of vaccine supply in a time of uncertainty,” Professor Kidd said.

“There will be daily, sometimes hourly, stories coming from around the world on vaccine rollout. Some of these will affect Australia, most will not.”