7. Question No. 7—HealthDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 7—Health7. Dr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister of Health: How does he explain recent outbound air travellers who tested positive when they arrived in Australia and how does this relate to community surveillance testing numbers over the past three months?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Health): I'm advised that of the three recent cases that tested positive on arrival in Australia two had been in transit through Auckland Airport and never entered the community here in New Zealand. The other positive test is believed to relate to a far earlier infection during the lockdown period and that individual is not thought to be currently infectious. As a precaution however contact tracing and testing is being conducted for these cases. So far all related tests have come back negative. In answer to the second part of the question testing numbers have fluctuated but I have been clear that I want to see more testing. I was encouraged to see an increase in community testing numbers over the last week and higher numbers over the weekend compared to previous weekends. I'm also pleased to report that a pop-up testing site set up today in Queenstown had so far collected 600 samples by 2 p.m. after only a few hours of operation.Dr Shane Reti: How many contact traces have been undertaken on these recent cases?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't have the numbers for those specific cases with regard to the exact number but with regard to the first two cases I mentioned where they had transited through Auckland CCTV footage so far has revealed that they had no close contacts while in New Zealand. They were literally here for a matter of hours and did not come into close contact with anybody. With regard to the case who tested positive after leaving New Zealand my understanding is that the immediate household has been tested and all have come back negative. There were a handful of other close contacts that have been tested and have come back negative but that contact tracing of course will not be closed until all of those contacts have been contacted.Dr Shane Reti: How does he explain the following statement from ministry officials regarding the person who flew from Auckland to Sydney on 6 July and then tested positive It appears the person may have been a previously unconfirmed case from March and this is responsible for the positive test result" and was that person then positive in New Zealand from March to July?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No what it's a sign of is that people can test positive for COVID-19 long after they have recovered from the virus. That's a well-established fact within the scientific and health community. There will be people in New Zealand who did not get tested during the lockdown who did have COVID-19 during that time and who recovered. In some cases people did not seek a test. They did exactly what we suggested which was they stayed home and they got better. In other cases they may have sought a test and not had one because—in some cases—I'm aware of people who went to get a test but were put off by the fact that there were long queues outside the testing stations. So there will be people who were positive for COVID-19 previously who have had the virus who have subsequently recovered but who would still test positive if tested today.Dr Shane Reti: What is the average time frame for people who have tested positive to test negative?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't think that there's a specific—I don't have that information around the overall time frame. Some people have previously tested positive and then some months later have tested negative. Others have tested positive and then some months later after they have well and truly recovered have still tested positive even though they had well and truly recovered. So I don't know. I can find out if there is an average time but I'm not sure that that would necessarily tell us much.Dr Shane Reti: Is it correct that the first that New Zealand health authorities knew about the positive 26 July Australian test was when she called the New Zealand health hotline from Australia and what is the average time between a positive border test from a New Zealand flight arriving in Australia and notification to New Zealand authorities?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It would depend on the notification regime of the country that the person arrives in. Some countries are faster than others at notifying New Zealand about a positive test result. In some cases people have contacted Healthline from overseas and it's turned out to be that the information that they supplied to Healthline hasn't been correct. There are reports—fairly regularly—of some of these cases that require investigation which are based on hearsay. So they're based on New Zealanders thinking that they know of someone who's tested positive overseas when after it's subsequently been chased down that has proven to not be the case."