Apartment residents not told of isolating Covid case's death

Residents at the Manukau apartment complex where a person with Covid-19 has died, says they were not told what was going on.

By Tom Day

One resident told 1News the first he heard of the death was TV cameras pulling up outside the apartments.

He said letters were sometimes put under doors when there was a case in the building, but he didn’t receive one this time.

Another said he found out there were two Covid-19 cases on his floor four days ago, but he was only notified by a social worker and not the building.

He said he has a two-year-old son at home and what was going on was “dangerous”. He added that he intends to leave the building as soon as he can.

The Putney Way complex is home to hundreds of residents and 11 floors. 

In its media statement at 1pm, the Ministry of Health said the person who died was a 40-year-old man. 

The death has been referred to the Coroner.

The Ministry of Health and the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre is reviewing what happened with the man's care "with independent input". 

"The Ministry is unable to comment on the specifics of this case while there is a coronial investigation, however we can comment generally about the home isolation process," the Ministry of Health said.

"Over the period of required isolation, there are regular checks undertaken through a mixture of phone calls, in person visits and emails. Individuals with Covid-19 are also given a pulse oximeter to help monitor their health."

The Ministry of Health confirmed the death was not related to the Covid-19 vaccine.

The man found dead by a family member who was visiting them on Wednesday.

He tested positive for Covid-19 on October 24.