Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Wellington Hospital ward closed to visitors after member of staff tests positive

There are more than 1,300 cases in Auckland alone and the seven-day rolling average of community cases is just over 1000. Video / NZ Herald

Wellington Regional Hospital has closed a ward to visitors after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

It comes as 1573 community cases of Covid-19 were recorded across the country yesterday - 20 of which were in the CCDHB region - and an anti-mandate protest enters day 11 of its occupation on Parliament grounds.

Wellington Regional Hospital had closed the ward to visitors as a precaution. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Capital and Coast District Health Board provided an update on their Facebook page on Thursday afternoon to say the staff member had tested positive.

"A member of staff has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating at home, after attending a private event," read the statement.

"The staff member worked a shift on a ward at Wellington Regional Hospital before testing positive – however they did not have symptoms, wore a mask, and followed all of our usual safety precautions."

"A number of other staff from the ward attended the same event and are currently under symptom watch."

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CCDHB said they were confident the risk of infection to patients and others on the ward was "very low", and no patients were considered close contacts.

"Our Infection Prevention & Control team has identified patients as casual – not close – contacts," they said.

"We are therefore monitoring patients for symptoms and will test relevant patients over the coming days."

They had closed the ward to visitors as a precaution over the coming days, unless by special arrangement.

"Anyone who visited before the ward closed need not be alarmed – they will have worn a mask, and the risk of exposure is extremely low.

"However, they should be alert for Covid-19 symptoms and get tested if they have any."

CCDHB would not provide anymore information, such as as which ward was affected, and how many contacts had been identified.

There are currently 105 covid cases in the Wellington Region (CCDHB), including an extra 20 recorded on Thursday.

A total of 33 education facilities in Wellington are currently managing Covid cases, RNZ reports. This includes six early childhood centres, 18 primary schools, eight secondary schools and one intermediate.

CCDHB has 98 per cent of its eligible population aged 12 and over double vaccinated for Covid-19, while 99 per cent have had at least one dose.

As at 11.59pm on Thursday night, 71 per cent of the eligible population in the CCDHB region had received a booster shot.