WELLINGTON (XINHUA) – New Zealand reported 13 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday (April 18) as the government is stepping up its support for health services.

According to a statement released Saturday afternoon by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the country recorded eight new confirmed and five new probable cases of Covid-19 overnight, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,422. Twenty people are currently being treated in hospital, including three people in ICU.

Although community transmission constitutes only 2 per cent of the total Covid-19 cases in New Zealand, there are 16 clusters of outbreaks across the country, including five significant clusters within aged residential care facilities.

New Zealand has reported 11 deaths caused by Covid-19.

The country has conducted a total of 79,078 tests national wide. Targeted testings to help determine whether there is any undetected community transmission have taken place in Queenstown, Waikato, Canterbury, and Auckland.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government announced additional investment for health services with NZ$200 million (S$172 million) to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE), NZ$26 million for residential aged care providers to keep Covid-19 at bay and NZ$35 million to boost funding for essential medicines.

“This is an unprecedented investment and reflects the continuing demand for PPE across our hospitals, primary care, aged care, home care and essential services workforces,” said Health Minister David Clark.

New Zealand declared a national emergency and entered into a national lockdown from March 26. People were urged to stay home to contain community transmission of Covid-19. The country closed its border to non-residents from March 19.

From April 10, passengers from overseas entering New Zealand are required to go through government managed isolation for 14 days before any onward travel in New Zealand.

Read the latest on the Covid-19 situation in Singapore and beyond on our dedicated site here.

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