New Zealand recorded the highest number of new cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday, without reducing the outbreak of the delta virus, which has shattered the country’s hopes of maintaining the goals of the “zero covid” strategy.
94 new cases of Covid-19 were registered during the day, thus exceeding the previous record of 89 new cases reached in April last year, health authorities said.
Although the number of new cases is small by international standards, it has been steadily rising since infection with the highly contagious delta was confirmed for the first time in New Zealand in mid-August.
The outbreak, which has largely affected the country’s largest city, Auckland, has forced Prime Minister Jindind Ardern to abandon the central goal of his pandemic policy to eradicate the virus, now focusing on increasing vaccination rates.
The center-left leader will unveil a new strategy on Friday that provides more freedoms as soon as vaccination targets are met.
About two-thirds of the population offered vaccination is already fully vaccinated.
“We know that vaccination has already made a significant difference in the Auckland outbreak, but so do people who follow the rules,” Ardern told reporters.
Prior to the spread of the delta type, New Zealand was praised for its strict approach, including the introduction of a strict quarantine regime, active contact tracing and strict border restrictions.
These measures had results. In a country with a population of five million, only 28 have died from Covid-19, but the country has been able to return to normal life for extended periods of time.
However, Aden has acknowledged that the delta type has changed the rules of the game, spreading at a speed that contact trackers cannot keep up with.
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