Woman in 90s first victim of New Zealand Delta variant outbreak

New Zealand on Saturday reported the first death from the Delta variant of coronavirus in Auckland. The victim, a woman in her 90s, had a number of underlying health conditions, officials said. “Every death is a reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause when it gets into our community,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement, referring to the country’s first coronavirus-related death since mid-February.

Ardern cautioned that older New Zealanders and those with underlying health issues “are by far the most at risk from the virus and one of the reasons lockdowns are such an important tool to stop its spread.”

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Authorities also reported 20 other cases of COVID-19 in Auckland. With a population of about 1.7 million people, New Zealand’s largest city has been under a strict level 4 lockdown since mid-August due to the Delta variant outbreak.

Although curbs have been eased elsewhere, schools and offices as well as cafe, restaurants and all public venues remain shut. Most New Zealanders have been asked to stay indoors.

Active cases of the current outbreak in New Zealand stand at 782, with 765 in Auckland and 17 in the nation’s capital Wellington.

New Zealand, a nation of five million, has reported 3,392 confirmed coronavirus cases and 27 related deaths since the pandemic began.

Delta, a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, was first identified in India in December 2020 before reaching Britain and the United States, where it is now the predominant variant. According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which has listed Delta as “a variant of concern”, it is more contagious than the other virus strains and could lead to “hyperlocal outbreaks.”

Florida reported an additional 2,345 Covid-19 deaths in its latest weekly report daily average rose 36% to 335.

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Worldwide, coronavirus caseload has topped 219.7 million, while deaths have surged to more than 4.55 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.