The New Zealand Blood Service are reviewing their approach to gay and transgender donors this year. A trans student at Otago, who was a frequent plasma donor before they transitioned, said that “it's just fucked at the moment.”
Another student noted that the Blood Service ad
Press Release – University of Auckland
New Zealand’s first nationwide survey to detect Covid-19 antibodies in blood showed a very low prevalence, highlighting the success of efforts to eliminate the disease.
Associate Professor Nikki Moreland said: “We found a very low rate of Covid antibodies in our survey population (0.10 percent). This means that undetected community transmission has been very low and is evidence that New Zealand’s elimination strategy has been a success.”
Dr Moreland and her team at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, are adept at Covid-19 serology, testing that detects the presence of antibodies in blood. It has been estimated that up to 15 percent of people contracting Covid-19 have no symptoms but remain infectious.
A study of blood samples has revealed eight cases of Covid-19 that went previously undetected in the community.
Infections were likely missed early on when the virus first arrived in New Zealand, Associate Professor Dr Nikki Moreland says.
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Auckland University Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences tested 9806 samples of blood donations from New Zealanders to see if they had antibodies for the virus.
Antibodies can tell if someone has been infected with Covid-19, it cannot identify an active case.
Associate Professor Dr Nikki Moreland said the study, which had not yet been peer reviewed, showed there was a low level of undetected community transmission.
Researchers conduct a SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey of blood donors in New Zealand
Various strategies are being deployed across the globe to curb the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the novel causal agent of the COVID-19. This virus is highly contagious and is transmitted via primarily via respiratory droplets from infected individuals.
The approaches undertaken by New Zealand have been reported to have effectively reduced the incidence of COVID-19. In New Zealand, the first COVID-19 infection was reported on February 26, 2020. After a month of the first incidence, the country implemented a strict lockdown for 49 days. They followed an arduous border control, skillfully managed the quarantine facilities for new arrivals, and had also effectively managed isolation programs. As a result, New Zealand remained mostly free from COVID-19. It must, however, be noted that initially, owing to limited diagnostic re