Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Dr Ashley Bloomfield no longer focused on linking cases, says vaccination is the key to freedom

NZ Herald
14 Oct, 2021 07:21 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Details were revealed about how the health system will cope with increased demand as new cases hit 71 on Thursday. Deputy PM Grant Robertson also issued a warning over unlawful gatherings at home. Video / NZ Herald

Dr Ashley Bloomfield says public health teams are no longer pouring resource into finding the links between cases and the focus is now trying to isolate cases and find their contacts.

In an interview with Mike Hosking, the director general of health said he is no longer "obsessing" over numbers of unlinked cases but the contact tracing efforts will continue.

"At this stage we're not putting too much resource in finding out where these cases were infected. The main effort is get these cases isolated as quickly as possible and find their contacts."

He says vaccination is the best way to get the stringent Covid-19 restrictions loosened.

"What's clear is that despite our very best efforts, we've not been able to get to zero in Auckland so we're staying in alert level 3, we're continuing to chase cases and we're going after vaccination."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He urged people not to panic, despite acknowledging the situation is concerning.

"People should be following the rules and if they haven't been vaccinated, they should do that because that was always going to be our ticket to more freedom - and the future has come forward."

On a potential change in alert level position for Auckland on Monday, Bloomfield said vaccination rates in Auckland would be a big factor in that decision.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That's the hope for Super Saturday, he said. While it might not make a "material difference" for this Monday, it was crucial for down the track. If the vaccination rate reached above 90 per cent then all options were on.

"The sooner we get to 90 per cent, the sooner things can start to free up and that's what we all want."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM

A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for the region tonight.

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Armed police block Rotorua street

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM
Students cap off 9h endurance challenge by hauling loaded fire truck

Students cap off 9h endurance challenge by hauling loaded fire truck

02 Jul 09:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP