COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)

Current status

There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand to date.

The Ministry’s expert advisory group has revised the case definition for health professionals by adding Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand as countries of a higher level of interest when diagnosing patients. See the Case definition of COVID-19 infection for more information.

Anyone who has visited those countries in the previous 14 days who develops symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath should seek medical advice by first phoning Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453 or contacting their GP by phoning ahead of their visit.

The likelihood of an imported case in New Zealand is high, however the likelihood of a widespread outbreak is low-moderate.

The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation and following guidance from the World Health Organization. If any public health measures are needed for this virus, we will advise.

For COVID-19 health advice and information, contact the Healthline team (for free) on 0800 358 5453 or +64 9 358 5453 for international SIMS.