New Zealand has seen a ‘big drop’ in new COVID-19 cases on Friday.
The Delta variant ended the six-month virus-free run of New Zealand in August. Upon detecting its first case since February, the country immediately entered its lockdown.
Officials have continued to implement the restrictions to millions of residents across the nation. The daily new cases maintained an increasing trend until Friday as they saw a “big drop” in numbers.
Reuters reported that authorities are eyeing “success” in the latest trends. This comes as the country remains committed to breaking the chain of transmission of the highly contagious variant.
Succeeding in breaking the chain of transmission
On Friday, New Zealand recorded 28 new COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant. 27 of them were in Auckland, and one was in Wellington, as per authorities.
In comparison to the figures from the last few days, the latest number is a significant improvement. As it happened, the country reported 49 new infections on Thursday and 75 the day before.
Speaking to a news conference, the Director of Public Health deemed the decreasing trend as promising. Dr. Caroline McEnlay noted, however, that while the “fall is encouraging,” they are “mindful” of the outbreaks having a long tail.
Nevertheless, the official emphasized that they are “being successful in breaking the chain of transmission” in New Zealand.
Easing of restrictions across New Zealand
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a nationwide lockdown in August. The curbs continued to extend in some parts of the country amid the case surge.
In Auckland, over 1.7 million residents are still observing the strictest level of lockdown. As for the rest of the country, however, the easing of restrictions has emerged due to the decreasing number of cases.
Despite this, though, authorities continue to urge residents to stay indoors. All public venues remain shut, including schools, offices, cafes, and restaurants.
Slow pace of vaccine roll-out
The country has had successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year. Many nations across the globe have even shared praises for their efficient management of the global crisis.
But, reports said that the government still faces questions and concerns over the country’s vaccine roll-out. As noted, it has the “slowest pace among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping.”
Only 25.5 percent of the total population of New Zealand has completed their vaccinations against COVID-19. The data is as of September 1, according to Our World In Data.
Images courtesy of ABC News (Australia)/YouTube