New Zealand’s unlikely pandemic hero Bloomfield says goodbye

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Ashley Bloomfield, the mild-mannered doctor who became an unlikely hero to many New Zealanders during the coronavirus pandemic, has held his final media conference after resigning as director-general of health. Perhaps fittingly, Bloomfield, 57, ended up answering as many questions about the topic of the day — water fluoridation — as he did about the nation’s COVID-19 response, which has faded as a primary concern for many, despite a persistent and deadly omicron outbreak. In early 2020, Bloomfield rose from relative obscurity to become a household name as he stood alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern most days to face TV cameras and talk New Zealanders through the nation’s pandemic response.