Covid-19 coronavirus: Seventeen Northlanders under investigation for Covid-19 in hospital

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / File

Seventeen Northlanders are under investigation for Covid-19 across the region's four hospitals as at 8am yesterday.

The Northland District Health Board confirmed yesterday that of 38 people in hospital, 21 had tested negative for Covid-19, leaving 17 still under investigation.

According to the Ministry of Health, being under investigation involved someone who was eligible for testing but had not yet been tested, or someone who had been tested and did not yet have a result.

Whangārei Hospital. Photo / File

Northland had 28 confirmed and probable cases, 24 of which had recovered. All eight confirmed or probable cases among Māori had recovered.

On April 30, the Northern Advocate reported nine Northlanders were under investigation for the virus across all four of the region's hospitals. All nine had since tested negative.

The DHB would not confirm the locations of the new 17 individuals under investigation, citing privacy concerns.

With just 12 tests done in Northland's age residential care facilities to date, the DHB confirmed it would be offering police and aged residential care staff the opportunity for voluntary testing later this week as a way of seeking out undetected cases.

Similarly, the DHB confirmed everyone who wanted a test would get one as of yesterday.

It comes as New Zealand registered its first day with no new positive cases yesterday. It was Northland's 17th day without a new case.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

A total of 5196 tests had been done across Northland to date, 75 per cent of which had been conducted at the region's seven community-based testing centres. Over 400 people had been tested at mobile testing clinics to date.

Head to the bottom of the article for more information on the centres.

Announced by director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield at Parliament today, the country's combined total of confirmed and probable cases was the same as yesterday (1487) - a first in almost 50 days.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / File

There were no additional deaths and 86 per cent of cases (1276) had recovered.

There were four people in hospital and none in intensive care. Of the 16 major clusters, three were considered closed.

"Clearly these are encouraging figures today, but it is just one moment in time," Bloomfield said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / File

In a press conference late yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country would learn on Thursday what alert level two rules would be, but a decision regarding our alert level would not be made until Monday.

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