Covid-19: Mattina mariner stable in hospital

Covid-19: Mattina mariner stable in hospital
Louisa Stey l Jul 29 2021 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/125902715/covid19-ma...

The Covid-19-infected crew member from the Mattina who was taken to Southland Hospital is in a stable condition, the Ministry of Health says.

The Southern District Health Board said late on Wednesday night that a Covid-19 positive mariner who had been in quarantine on the MS Mattina, berthed at South Port in Bluff, had been transferred to Southland Hospital for assessment and possibly ongoing care on Wednesday afternoon.

The mariner is one of 15 Filipino and Ukrainian crew members to test positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19 since the container ship arrived in New Zealand on July 18.

Another crew member, who is also in isolation on the ship, was found to have had a historical case of Covid-19 but was no longer considered infectious.

Four crew members have been transported to a managed isolation facility in Christchurch, while the ship’s captain, who needs to remain close to the ship, has been transferred to accommodation provided by the Southern DHB.

A Ministry of Health spokesman said crewman who recovered from Covid-19 on the ship, would remain on the ship.

Two of the first crew members to test positive were taken to Southland Hospital for assessment on July 21, but did not need to be admitted, and were returned to the ship later that day.

For both transfers, Southland Hospital acting general manager Jo McLeod said: “This was done in a carefully planned and co-ordinated way, working with St John, Infection prevention and control, the emergency department and other hospital staff, under the guidance of Southern DHB Medical Officers of Health.”

A ministry spokesperson said the crew members taken to Christchurch on Friday travelled by bus and were not allowed to disembark anywhere along the journey.

Health officially would need to be satisfied that all crew members had fully recovered before the quarantine could be lifted, the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, the ministry confirmed it had worked out the legalities and mariners would be charged for their time in managed isolation.

They were liable for the “lower” MIQ fee of $3100 per person – which is the price the average returning Kiwi paid – because they had entered New Zealand in accordance with immigration rules, the ministry said.

Zeaborn Ship Management spokesperson Andrew Leahy, who was acting on behalf of the MS Mattina's owners, said the cost would be assessed and settled under the ship's insurance policy.

The ship’s owners were constantly reviewing its Covid-19 protocols as a result of the differing levels of Covid-19 infection rates and policies in its ports of trade, he said.

Leahy also extended the crew's “heartfelt thanks” to the Southland community for care packages they had received and their “kind support and humanity in this difficult situation.”