Two more Kiwi sailors have caught Covid-19 while deployed in Canada.

The navy personnel are with the frigate HMNZS Te Mana at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, Vancouver Island, where the ship is undergoing a major upgrade.

The news follows reports of six sailors and their families testing positive in April.

A Defence Force spokesman said the two most recent cases were fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms.

They were isolating under “local base protocols”.

Their close contacts were also isolating and being tested, the spokesman said.

“It is not possible to determine how the personnel became infected,” he said.

“It should be noted that Covid-19 is very prevalent overseas.”

The work on the ship is back to schedule, the spokesman said.

There are about 100 navy personnel in Canada.

The April outbreak among the crew saw work on Te Mana suspended until the end of that month.

The frigates Te Mana and Te Kaha, which together represent New Zealand’s naval combat force, have both undergone extensive upgrades.

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Te Kaha returned to New Zealand from Canada in December and is undertaking trials ahead of its return to service.

Te Mana is scheduled to return in April 2022.