Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed a suspected case of Covid-19 coronavirus is positive.

The person is being treated in Auckland Hospital.

She said the person was a permanent resident of New Zealand who had recently been in Iran.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the person arrived this week from Iran, where the virus had been rapidly spreading.

He earlier said five people were being tested for the virus in New Zealand, but only this person fit the definition of a suspected case.

He said 130 tests for Covid-19 had been done this month, all of them negative except this one.

More to come ...