Reporter Gianina Schwanecke reports on the first day back in the Bay for Covid 19 level 4 lockdown. Video / Warren Buckland
There might be a late contender for the New Zealander of the Year award — the 58-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.
Microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles MNZM took the 2021 title for her work during the Covid-19 pandemic while also breaking down barriers around appearance andgender.
Jennifer (Te Atamira) Ward-Lealand, Mike King, Kristine Barlett, Taika Waititi, Richie McCaw, Sir Stephen Tindall, Dr Lance O'Sullivan and Dame Anne Salmond are other previous winners.
They're highly esteemed characters in their own right but I believe the Devonport tradesman is right up there with them.
Health officials on Tuesday announced the man had tested positive and locations of interest pinpointed him at several locations throughout Auckland and Coromandel.
Case A, as the man is referred to in the latest Covid-19 cluster, had not been vaccinated but was very good at scanning into places he visited using the NZ Covid Tracer app.
Dr Siouxsie Wiles MNZM. Photo / Natalie Slade
Genome sequencing later revealed the man has the Delta variant of Covid-19, a strain known to be more severe and spreads easier than the original form of the virus.
If Case A wasn't so prompt in getting himself tested, the number of cases the country is dealing with could be far higher.
Cars line up as people file in to get a Covid-19 test at the pop-up testing station in Devonport on Wednesday. Photo / Brett Phibbs
We owe this man a lot. He is a true team player, a shining light in the team of five million.
And don't just take my word for it because there's plenty of praise about Case A, including from this year's New Zealander of the Year.
"A massive thanks and a gold star to the person with symptoms who got tested," Wiles posted on Twitter shortly after it was Case A was discovered.
Now the ball is in our court — as it has always been, really — but I'm hoping we can all learn something from this latest outbreak in New Zealand.
On the whole, Kiwis seem to be sticking to the game plan: People are social distancing in public and have their faces covered, people are queuing for tests and staying home otherwise.
And here is why breaking chains of transmission is so important. #COVID19 cases grow exponentially. This outbreak might get quite big before numbers come down. But we got this New Zealand! #COVID19nzpic.twitter.com/i8sio92JyL
We're not out of the woods though, with officials anticipating upwards of 120 cases of Delta-strain Covid-19 infections to emerge.
Cabinet's quick decision to plunge New Zealand back into a level 4 lockdown was a stark difference to that of leaders across the ditch in Australia who are in major strife.
On Thursday, a record 681 new cases were discovered in New South Wales — the state which has suffered the brunt of the latest outbreak.
Covid-19 virus testing in Rotorua earlier this week. Photo / Andrew Warner
An outbreak began in Sydney in mid-June and as of Thursday afternoon, just shy of 10,000 people had tested positive for Covid-19.
According to the New Zealander of the Year award website, the title "honours the achievements and contributions of an inspirational Kiwi who has made a big, positive contribution to our country this year".
Another frontrunner for the 2022 award might be Bay of Plenty golden child Lisa Carrington but I'm not even sure she had as big of a contribution to New Zealand as Case A.
Cabinet made sure New Zealand would not follow in Australia's lacklustre footsteps to an outbreak - as did Case A.
