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Covid-19 update: 39 community cases in New Zealand today, 4 new cases of Omicron

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

New Zealand has recorded another 39 community cases of Covid-19, the Ministry of Health says.

Four new cases of Omicron have been detected in recent international arrivals.

Of the new community cases, there are 25 in Auckland, 11 in Bay of Plenty, 2 in Lakes and one in Taranaki.

There are 49 people in hospital with five of these in ICU or HDU.

The ministry says today’s case numbers do not cover a full 24 hour period due to the change in reporting times to a midnight-to-midnight cycle from 9am-to-9am.

Of the new Omicron cases, two of these were passengers on the international flight with New Zealand’s first Omicron case. Of the other two Omicron cases, one arrived in Auckland from Singapore on 13 December and the other arrived in Christchurch on 13 December from Singapore.

The total number of Omicron cases is now eight.

The ministry says two of the Omicron cases are in a bubble but the other six cases are unrelated to each other suggesting no cross-contamination or cross-infection either in-flight or within MIQ facilities.

All passengers on flights with Omicron cases are now required to complete ten days in MIQ. Other arrivals spend seven days in MIQ and three days in self-isolation.

“We are well placed to manage Omicron cases with isolation and testing requirements for all new arrivals, robust infection and prevention control and PPE measures at airports and MIQ facilities, and frequent surveillance testing of staff who have any contact with recent international returnees,” the ministry said in a statement.

Whole genome sequencing is undertaken on positive cases at the border to identify if these are the Omicron variant.

A boy under the age of 10 became the youngest person with Covid-19 to die in New Zealand, data on the Ministry of Health website revealed yesterday. The data said the child was a Māori boy, registered to the Counties Manukau DHB.

Three new cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant were also reported in New Zealand’s managed isolation system, with none of them connected to the first case that was announced on Thursday.

The cases are now isolating at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland while the first case has been transferred to an MIQ facility in Christchurch.

The ministry said the detection of further Omicron cases was not surprising given its rapid spread around the world.

There were 76 new community cases of the coronavirus reported in New Zealand yesterday.

Covid-19: Three more Omicron cases reported in MIQ

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Three new cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant have been reported in New Zealand’s managed isolation system, with none of them connected to yesterday’s first case.

The first case was recorded in a Christchurch MIQ facility yesterday.

This evening the Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement that whole genome sequencing has detected three further Omicron cases in recent international arrivals.

“The cases arrived in Auckland from Dubai on December 11 and were transported to a Rotorua MIQ on a bus chartered for international arrivals.”

The Ministry said one case travelled to Dubai from London, the second case travelled to Dubai from Spain and the third travelled to Dubai from Nigeria. All three then boarded the same flight to Auckland.

The cases are now isolating at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland.

All passengers on the flights with the cases will now have to complete all 10 days at a managed isolation facility, instead of spending the last three days of their isolation period in self-isolation.

The Ministry said the detection of further Omicron cases was not surprising given its rapid spread around the world.

“Our health and MIQ teams around the country have been planning for Omicron cases at the border, and will continue to manage all arrivals cautiously.

“Our border settings means we are well placed to manage Omicron cases with isolation and testing requirements for all new arrivals, robust infection and prevention control and PPE measures at airports and MIQ facilities, and frequent surveillance testing of staff who have any contact with recent international returnees.”

Further updates will be provided tomorrow.

Meanwhile, two passengers who travelled to New Zealand with the country’s first Omicron case have tested positive for Covid-19, although one of the cases is the Delta variant.

All three people have been moved to a managed quarantine facility.

The first case reported yesterday arrived in New Zealand on a flight from Germany via Dubai that landed in Auckland before they transferred to Christchurch on a chartered domestic flight.

Dr Bloomfield spoke to ministers today about speeding up the vaccine booster rollout.

Currently a booster dose is offered six months after someone has received their second dose of the vaccine, however, some health experts are calling for the booster to be available more quickly.

“We want to be going into winter next year with the highest possible level of population immunity and so far in rolling out our booster programme we’ve seen at that six month interval, about half of people are booking in and having it at six months and it may well be we need a shorter interval to make sure people do get it on time,” he told Morning Report today.

He also said that the single case of Omicron did not mean it would get into the community.

“It’s by no means inevitable and we’ll continue to do everything we can to make sure we keep Omicron either out of the country or at the border if it does come on a flight.”

High vaccination rates, testing, contract tracing and isolation on top of other measures New Zealand had in place would continue to serve us well, he said.

Covid-19: 76 new community cases reported in New Zealand today

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

There have been 76 new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there are 51 cases in hospital today and five people in ICU.

The hospital patients include two in Waikato, two in Tauranga, one in Christchurch and the rest in Auckland.

Today’s cases are within the new 24-hour reporting timeframe of midnight Wednesday to 11.59pm Thursday.

The new cases are in Auckland (47), Waikato (15), Bay of Plenty (10), Rotorua (1) and Taranaki (3).

Two of the three new cases in Taranaki are linked to the Eltham cluster and the third is based in New Plymouth.

The Waikato cases include six in Hamilton and six in Te Kūiti. The 10 cases in the Bay of Plenty are all in the Tauranga area and nine are linked to previously reported cases.

There were also three new cases identified at the border.

There have now been 10,129 cases in the current community outbreak and 12,947 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.

The Health Ministry said the virus has also been detected in a wastewater sample taken in Napier on Wednesday.

“This could be due to recently recovered cases returning to the region who are shedding the virus, transient visitors, or it could signal undetected cases in the community.”

There are no known Covid-19 cases self-isolating in Napier.

Omicron in NZ update

The Health Ministry also gave an update in New Zealand’s first case of the Omicron variant in a Christchurch managed isolation facility.

It said two other passengers on the international flight the case arrived on have tested positive for Covid-19 and one further passenger’s positive result is being investigated as a historical infection.

It said one of these infections was the Delta variant, while whole genome sequencing for the other two is due later today.

These three have been moved to a managed quarantine facility.

All of the passengers on the same international and domestic flights as the Omicron case are being treated as close contacts, and all are isolating in a managed isolation facility. All other passengers have returned negative tests so far.

“While the arrival of a new variant is concerning, New Zealand is well placed to manage Omicron cases with isolation and testing requirements for all new arrivals, robust infection and prevention control and PPE measures at airports and MIQ facilities, and frequent surveillance testing of staff who have any contact with recent returnees,” the ministry said.

Vaccine rates

The ministry said both Capital & Coast and Auckland DHBs are close to reaching 90 percent fully vaccinated for their eligible Māori populations.

“For Auckland DHB, just 1339 of the eligible population need a second dose to reach the 90 percent milestone, while in the Capital & Coast DHB region, an additional 1480 vaccinations are needed to reach the mark.”

It said four of the country’s smaller DHBs were also closing in on 90 percent fully vaccinated of the eligible population – Wairarapa DHB needs just 157 more doses, South Canterbury 516 doses, MidCentral 778 doses, and Nelson-Marlborough 1183 doses to hit the milestone.

Across the country, there were more than 21,000 vaccine doses given yesterday, including 2434 first doses; 8294 second doses; 726 third primary doses and 10,018 booster doses.

Call for independent investigation into Uni of Fiji accusations

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Claims of corruption at the University of Fiji must be investigated independently, a former Fijian academic says.

The deputy leader of the opposition in Fiji and NFP president Biman Prasad.
Biman Prasad, National Federation Party leader. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins

Any allegations of dishonest and fraudulent practices at a university cannot be ignored, said MP Biman Prasad, who is the National Federation Party leader and was a professor of economics at the University of the South Pacific.

“Corruption allegations of this nature at any tertiary institution is a matter of serious concern.”

A whistleblower released a four-page document to RNZ Pacific, detailing up to 10 specific allegations of corruption at the University of Fiji, including financial mismanagement and discriminatory staff appointment practices.

Professor Prasad said the fact the document was disclosed to the media indicated a lack of academic freedom in Fiji.

“Academic freedom does not necessarily mean that academics can say whatever they want to say about things outside of the university, but academic freedom also means that staff in the university should be able to raise the issues with the management with respect to any suggestion that there might be corruption or bad governance.”

He said if there was serious allegations about management, governance, finances or other issues there must be an immediate independent inquiry.

“If the issues involve the council members, then it is incumbent upon the council to appoint some independent organisation – such as a reputable accounting firm not influenced by any state apparatus within the country – to give those who are making the allegations and those the allegations are made against … a fair hearing.

“Then any governance issues is dealt with in a proper way.”

RNZ Pacific has contacted the university’s vice-chancellor Shaista Shameem to respond to the allegations. A response is expected to be provided today.

Lord Lasike suspended as chair of Tonga Power Ltd over support for PM Sovaleni

By
Kalino Latu
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Outgoing Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa has allegedly suspended the chair of Tonga Power Ltd (TPL) in what had been reported as disappointment over the noble’s support for Prime Minister-Designate  Siaosi Sovaleni.

Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa (L), Lord Lasike

Lord Lasike said he was told to leave while being investigated.

The former Speaker said he was accused of misspending the organisation’s fund to support Sovaleni. He denied this.

He told Setita Tu’i’onetoa of Tnews on Wednesday he did not break the spending rules. He said he was entitled to have dinner with “prospects and ministers” and can approve sponsorships.

The king’s noble said he believed the move was politically motivated and Pōhiva was unhappy because of Lasike’s link with Sovaleni.

Denial 

The suspension was first reported on Facebook on Tuesday. However, the Kakalu ‘O Tonga newspaper Editor ‘Ulu’alo Po’uhila responded to the report and said they interviewed Pōhiva and he denied the report.

Pōhiva was no stranger to controversy and providing conflicting and misleading statements to the media and the public.

Among other misleading statements, we reported last year that Maikolo Fa’asolo was forced to resign as CEO of Lulutai airline. In response Tu’i’onetoa said Fa’asolo was not the CEO of Lulutai, only to fall completely silent when we sent him a copy of the contract that clearly showed Fa’asolo was in fact the CEO.

Lasike’s suspension came after Tu’i’onetoa threatened to dismiss John Paul Chapman, the former CEO of TPL in June. Tu’i’onetoa’s warning was leaked to media after Chapman demanded former Chairman Dr ‘Aisake Eke tendered his resignation.

Chapman later resigned but Tu’i’onetoa told media Chapman asked for leave so he could travel to his family.

Auckland businessman serves Lord Fulivai with demand for payment, threatens return to NZ High Court if debt not paid  

By
Kaniva Staff
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Auckland businessman Chris Barrett has served the former governor of Vava’u, Lord Fulivai, with a demand for the repayment of $340,200 over a yellow fin tuna project.

Lord Fulivai

Barrett is demanding full repayment of the amount plus $91,255.86 interest by December 31 or else he has threatened to take the couple to the New Zealand High Court.

The High Court has already found in favour of Barrett an earlier case involving the Lord Fulivai and his wife.

As Kaniva News reported earlier this year, the tuna project was intended to establish open water fish farms off Lord Fulivai’s estate of Hunga Island, Vava’u through a company called Horizon Deep International.

Barrett’s company Pacificon issued an invoice dated August 31, 2020 for US$340,200 to Lord Fulivai, his cousin Michael Thompson and Horizon Deep, of which Thompson is the CEO.

The bill included consultation services, preparation of documents for investors and loans and financial advances for Lord and Lady Fulivai.

Barrett told Kaniva News that Lord Fulivai had ignored demands for payment.

Copies of texts from Lord Fulivai seen by Kaniva News appear to show that he guaranteed Barrett payment of all expenses.

This is not the first time Barrett has pursued Lord Fulivai for non-payment of debts.

In October the High Court in Auckland ordered Lord Fulivai, and his wife to repay Barrett $253,370.60 over a failed land and development deal and personal debts, with interest and all court costs.

The court found the couple had promised Barrett they could provide him with a 99- year lease on land on Pangaimotu in Vava’u as long as he gave them money to pay off people occupying the land.

Barrett said he did not receive any lease and the defendants were therefore in breach of the agreement.

The couple also took loans from Barrett.

An examination of documents surrounding that case showed that Lord Fulivai used the King’s name and that of a former Prime Minister and former Health Minister Saia Piukala in his dealings with Barrett.

New Zealand Police charged the Fulivais with obtaining money by deception. It is understood they will appear in court on January 22.

Covid-19: Omicron case found in Christchurch MIQ

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed the country’s first case of the Omicron variant has been found at a MIQ facility in Christchurch.

Dr Bloomfield confirmed the news in a media conference this afternoon.

Watch the press conference here:

Dr Bloomfield said the person arrived in New Zealand on a flight from Germany via Dubai that landed in Auckland. People on that flight were then transferred to Christchurch on a chartered domestic flight.

He said all the people on that flight are in two separate hotels in Christchurch.

“This person was tested on day 1, a positive test result on day 2 was reported – that was on the 12th [of December]. The case was reported on the 13th in our numbers as a case that had come from the border.”

Dr Bloomfield said there was one other case that had already been confirmed from that flight on day 0-1 testing, “but the whole genome sequencing on that other case show it’s Delta strain”.

“We’re doing urgent whole genome sequencing on all our cases at the border. We fully expected we would find a case of Omicron and in fact we are treating every border related case as if it were Omicron until proven otherwise.”

Dr Bloomfield said today there were good protocols in place “that are designed to stop the virus getting across the border that have served us incredibly well”, like with the highly transmissible Delta variant.

He said one change made to protocols is that if there were an Omicron case at the border then everybody on that flight would be considered a close contact – on both the international and domestic flights.

Everyone on the floor of the MIQ facility where they were staying would be considered a close contact.

“They complete their full 10 days at the isolation facility at this point while we await further data on Omicron, that’s our interim approach.”

Bloomfield said returnees could not leave their rooms until day 1 test results were in.When this case was found, they were immediately moved to a quarantine facility, he said.

“We think there’s very little risk to others in the MIQ facility, both staff and people who are staying there.”

Dr Bloomfield said he did not know the name of the hotel where the Omicron case was found.

But he confirmed the new case would stay in MIQ for the full 14 days as part of the new protocol.

“We have every intention of keeping Omicron out of the country for as long as possible.”

He said New Zealand was “very well prepared” in case Omicron was found in the community.

3D rendering, coronavirus cells covid-19 influenza flowing on grey gradient background as dangerous flu strain cases as a pandemic medical health risk concept of disease cells risk

Photo: 123RF

In brief: news from around the Pacific

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Health workers flown to American Samoa, Vanuatu gets Maritime Council seat, a vaccination deadline extended in American Samoa and more.

Health workers flown to American Samoa, patients to Hawaii

A charter flight carrying almost 80 healthcare workers and their families from Fiji is to arrive in American Samoa today to boost the workforce.

RNZ Pacific’s correspondent reported the essential healthcare staff are for the Department of Health and the LBJ Tropical Medical Centre.

The American Samoa Covid-19 Task Force said the new arrivals will be quarantined for seven days.

Meanwhile, a special medical charter left the capital Pago Pago early this week for Hawaii with 151 passengers.

Many of the travellers were patients from LBJ hospital seeking medical treatment in the US, but some were non-medical passengers.

Vanuatu gains seat on Maritime Council

Vanuatu has been elected to the International Maritime Organisation Council.

The country was elected during the Council’s 32nd Assembly as a Category C member with 19 other countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, RNZ Pacific’s Vanuatu correspondent said.

Category C represents states with special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

Vanuatu is the first Pacific small island developing state to be elected.

Its ambassador Laurent Parente was also elected chairperson of the council’s assembly committee, which deals with all administrative, financial, legal and technical matters.

Vanuatu secured a substantial number of votes, placing it equal with Mexico and the Philippines and before Qatar, Denmark and Thailand.

Vaccination deadline extended for American Samoa political employees

Those working for American Samoa’s top politicians have been given more time to get fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

RNZ Pacific’s correspondent reported that Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga pushed out the deadline for Executive Branch employees to get fully vaccinated against Covid-19 till next month.

American Samoa’s executive branch includes the governor, lieutenant governor, and executive cabinet.

Lemanu also extended the deadline for “overstayers” to apply for the Amnesty Programme.

Previously, all Executive Branch employees were given until 15 December to be fully vaccinated. They now have until January 14th.

The last Amnesty Programme was in late 2019 during the measles epidemic, where many people died in neighbouring Samoa and restrictions were placed over entry into the territory as well as a mass measles immunisation drive.

Call for UN to reject results of New Caledonia referendum

Pacific civil society organisations are calling on the United Nations to reject the results of New Caledonia’s third and final independence referendum.

The vote was held on Sunday in spite of requests from indigenous Kanaks for it to be postponed because of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pro-independent groups boycotted the vote, resulting in a record low turnout and an overwhelming majority in favour of staying with France.

In a joint statement nine Pacific NGO’s accused France of “colonial manoeuvring” while New Caledonians were caught in a Covid-19 health crisis “to arrive at a premeditated outcome.”

They said the outcome of the referendum could not be taken as the “genuine resolve of the Kanak people” and called on the United Nations to reject the poll result.

Report reveals some sexual assault survivors ‘spent years unaware they were even eligible to make a claim’

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Anusha Bradley of RNZ. Republished with permission.

Only 1 percent of sexual assault survivors that lodged sensitive claims with ACC since 2010 have received weekly compensation.

ACC Sign in Wellington
ACC Sign in Wellington Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

It comes as RNZ has reported concerns from two sexual assault victims who said ACC discouraged them from making claims and failed to inform them about the financial help they could be entitled to. One of the women said ACC told her she was better off staying on a sickness benefit because the process for applying for weekly compensation from the agency was “too traumatic”.

The ACC figures are revealed in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse In Care’s interim report into redress, publicly released on Wednesday, noting “few sensitive claims result in a financial payment at all”.

“Weekly compensation is for people whose injuries have left them temporarily unable to work. Eligible claimants receive 80 percent of lost earnings or loss of potential earnings at 80 percent of the minimum wage. To receive weekly compensation, survivors must prove that they are earners, and also provide evidence they are unable to work,” the report said.

“Only 1.25 per cent of those who have lodged sensitive claims since 2010 have received weekly compensation, likely because they are not able to show they are ‘earners’.”

Of the total sensitive claims lodged since 2010, only 2.4 percent had received lump sum payments and 6.6 percent received independence allowances, which are paid to claimants with permanent impairment.

“The sums involved are not generous. The average lump sum payment was $7764, while the average total amount paid to claimants through independence allowance payments was $3936.770 Although difficult to directly compare, the biggest lump sum payment was $45,648 and the largest weekly independence allowance was $94.97 per week.”

Very few sensitive claimants received rehabilitation from ACC. Only 1.3 percent received vocational rehabilitation, such as training and job trials, and only 8.7 percent received social rehabilitation such as aids, appliances and home help, but these were often fraught with problems, the report said.

“A practitioner told us that, in her experience, survivors with sensitive claims must usually specifically request social rehabilitation in order to receive it. Survivors must also undergo assessment to qualify for these services. For social rehabilitation, this involves a needs assessment which can involve sharing very personal information with assessors.

“For vocational rehabilitation, survivors must be incapacitated and receive weekly compensation in order to be eligible. They are required to undertake occupational and medical assessments at the beginning and end of their planned rehabilitation. The vocational independence process has been criticised as once claimants are deemed able to return to work, they are removed from the accident compensation scheme even if no jobs exist for them in reality or are far removed from their training.”

Many survivors told the commission they had difficulty understanding how the ACC scheme worked and how to make a claim.

“Some spent years unaware they were even eligible to make a claim until being told by family, work colleagues or doctors,” the report said.

“To access entitlements, survivors must first satisfy various legal tests and undergo medical and/or psychological examinations. Many survivors describe the process as long, intrusive and re-traumatising.”

A shortage of qualified ACC assessors contributed to survivors’ trauma, the report said. One survivor described dealing with 15 people and divisions in 18 months, while another’s bad experience with ACC’s sensitive claims prevented her from making a claim about a later rape. “I just didn’t want to go through that same tunnel again,” she told the Commission.

“ACC said it was aware of the impact of requiring survivors to see a string of assessors and was taking steps to streamline the process by forwarding previous assessments to subsequent assessors (with individuals’ consent) to limit survivors describing their abuse once again. It said it funded two free services – Way Finders and Workplace Advocacy Service – to help people through the claims process, although not review hearings and appeals,” the report noted.

ACC said it is “looking to improve the client experience” by consulting sensitive claims providers, therapist and clients, starting with an online hui on Thursday

“This is so we can gain a joint understanding of the issues and solutions to progress over the next couple of years,” ACC said in a statement.

Covid-19 milestone: 90pc of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Ninety percent of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated, with the official count through overnight, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

No caption
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The milestone means nearly 3,800,000 people have rolled up their sleeves for two Pfizer doses.

It comes hot on the heels of the three DHBs in Auckland’s metropolitan area reaching the target.

Seven of the country’s 20 DHBs have now reached 90 percent double-vaccination, and a handful of others are on track to reach the target in the next few days.

Ninety-four percent of the eligible population nationwide have had their first dose.

Auckland’s Counties Manukau District Health Board hit the vaccination target of having 90 percent of its eligible population fully vaccinated yesterday.

That means all three DHBs in the Auckland region have hit the vaccination target. By yesterday Auckland DHB was sitting on 95 percent and Waitemata DHB was on 92 percent.

Counties Manukau has the second biggest eligible Māori population for a DHB and the biggest eligible Pacific population in the country.

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