New Zealand recorded 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as the current community outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant continues to grow, bringing infections associated with the outbreak to 72, with 6 in the capital Wellington, health officials said.
Of the 21 new cases, 20 are in Auckland, the largest city, and one is in Wellington traced to an Air NZ flight from Auckland. Five people were in hospital, but no one was an intensive care unit.
The Pacific nation of 5.1 million was ordered into a strict lockdown by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Aug. 17 after one case was detected in Auckland. The lockdown has since been extended until midnight on Tuesday as the outbreak has widened beyond the two key cities.
