WELLINGTON (XINHUA, REUTERS) – New Zealand reported 53 new community cases of Covid-19 linked to the Delta variant in Auckland on Monday (Aug 30), bringing the total number of cases in the country’s community outbreak to 562.

The total number of community cases in Auckland, the country’s largest city, stands at 547. In the capital Wellington, it is 15, according to the Ministry of Health.

There are 522 cases that have been clearly epidemiologically linked to another case or sub-cluster, and a further 42 for which links are yet to be fully established, said a ministry statement.

Of the current community cases, 37 cases are in hospital – 32 are in a stable condition and five cases are in a stable condition in intensive care units, it said.

New Zealand also reported one new case in recent returnees at the border. The newly imported case came from Qatar and has remained in a managed isolation and quarantine facility in Auckland, the statement said.

The total number of active cases being managed in New Zealand is currently 603. The total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is 3,163, statistics show.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday extended the lockdown for the country of 5.1 million until midnight on Tuesday, after which the restrictions were to ease slightly.

Ms Ardern said her government was seeking more information on the spread of the infections.

“Having positive cases in our communities, along with the impact of lockdowns, I know can be hugely unsettling, and that uncertainty can impact everyone’s mental health,” Ms Ardern said, announcing additional financial resources for mental health and urging people to seek help.

“So it’s OK to feel overwhelmed, to feel upset, or even to feel frustrated because this situation is often all of those things,” she added.

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