Today, we have two new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation, and no new cases linked to the Auckland February cluster. There are now 11 cases associated with this cluster and all cases are in the Auckland quarantine facility.
Genome testing for Case I has shown it to be the B.1.1.7 variant and very closely related to the genome sequence for Cases A and B.
This is what we expected and provides reassurance that the cases yesterday have not appeared in the community at random. Both cases A and I are genomically linked, both are students at Papatoetoe High and both were at school on 10 February.
We haven’t yet established the exact transmission link between the two, but it is likely to have occurred in a common area such as a corridor or