The Ministry of Health is investigating a suspected historical case of COVID-19 that has been detected in a crew member on the IVS Merlion which is currently docked in the Port of Tauranga.
The crew member has returned a weak positive COVID-19 test, with a high CT value, that indicates an old infection. It appears most likely that this crew member had COVID-19 some time ago and is no longer infectious.
The IVS Merlion arrived into New Zealand waters on October 15 after departing Indonesia on September 24. This infection has not been passed on to any other crew member – they have all tested negative and have been on board the vessel for three weeks.