A NewZealand man in his 50’s succumbed to the virus in more than three months in the second wave of the virus in the country.
A second wave cluster of infections emerged in Auckland last month after which the first death was reported on Friday.
NewZealand was free from the coronavirus for 102 days after which the second wave has begun. The death toll now reached to 23 with the most recent previous fatality on May 24.
The 55 year old man who recently died in NewZealand was reportedly the youngest to die from COVID-19 in the country.
However, the health authorities did not say if the man had any previous health conditions that led to the aggravation of the coronavirus disease in him.
The Auckland cluster has emerged in a family of 4 and has since grown to 152 including three new cases recorded on Friday.
It has proved difficult to eliminate despite a two and half week lockdown in Auckland that ended on Sunday night.
This news of NewZealand reinforces the importance of shared vigilance against COVID-19 and the very serious consequences the virus can carry with it.
While Aucklanders were being allowed to come out if their homes this week, the government has limited the non-school social gatherings in the city of 1.5 million to 10 people and made the face coverings mandatory on public transport nationwide.
Earlier on Friday, the authorities said that before the latest death was announced the restriction would remain in place until at least September 16.
The source of the Auckland cluster remains unknown but the genome testing indicates it is not linked to the virus strain that NewZealand experienced earlier this year which was largely eliminated in a seven-week lockdown that began in late March.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the indications were that the Auckland cluster was contained but there was no room for complacency.
She also mentioned that currently there are areas which suggest caution is very much required and said that many countries have faced the second outbreaks of the coronavirus pandemic and some have turned into significant second waves.
NewZealand has a low death of 23 in a population of 1.5 million and has been hailed as one of the most successful countries in handling the pandemic.
The country’s response to the latest outbreak has included a blitz of around 6 lakh tests in the recent weeks accompanied by extensive contact tracing and the pre-emptive quarantine of the close contacts linked to the confirmed cases.
By Gayatri Yellayi
