Delta Outbreak In New Zealand Spreading Rapidly

New Zealand on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, recorded its highest increase in COVID-19 cases since April 2020, as authorities warned this current outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus was like dealing with a whole new virus.

Photo Insert: Although Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand's leaders have set the example, the country's vaccination rollout has been criticized.

The South Pacific nation's virus-free run since February ended last week after an outbreak of the Delta variant erupted in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, and quickly spread to the capital Wellington, Praveen Menon reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Authorities reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total infections in the country to 148, the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference.

That was the biggest increase in cases since April 10, 2020, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Of the new cases, 38 are in Auckland and three are in Wellington. So far, eight people associated with the current outbreak are in hospital, the ministry said.

"Delta is unlike our previous experience. It is, as we know, highly infectious and transmissible and, as we have seen, spreads rapidly,” Bloomfield said at a news conference. But he said it was reassuring to see the numbers were not rising exponentially and the majority were still in Auckland.

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