New Zealand, Fiji, and Taiwan are among a handful of nations worldwide that have managed to last 100 days without a recorded case of COVID-19 through community transmission.
On Sunday New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
The latest Covid-19 milestone is being described as something to celebrate but comes with a warning that New Zealand can’t afford to let its guard down, according to Radio New Zealand.
“Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we can’t afford to be complacent,” said Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. “We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand.
From the first known case in New Zealand on February 26 to the last case of community transmission detected on May 1, elimination took 65 days, according to the New Zealand Herald. New Zealand’s number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 remains at 1,219.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said there were still 23 active cases of the coronavirus in managed isolation facilities.
New Zealand relied on three types of measures to get rid of the virus including lockdown and social distancing to stop community transmission, border controls to stop the virus from entering the country, as well as case-based controls using testing, contact tracing, and quarantine.
Currently, New Zealand and Fiji are among the only countries to go 100 days or more without cases, according to Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama.
New Zealand has gone 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19
A man reacts as a medical staffer tests shoppers who volunteered at a pop-up community COVID-19 testing station at a supermarket in Christchurch, New Zealand in April. New Zealand has eradicated the coronavirus from its shores after health officials reported on Monday that the final person known to have contracted an infection had recovered. (AP Photo/Mark Baker,File)