Today we are reporting 20,989 new community cases, 856 people in hospital with the virus, and seven additional COVID-19 related deaths.

This is highest number of deaths reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic and is a reminder that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus can still cause serious illness and/or death either directly or by its impact on other health conditions.

Getting vaccinated and boosted will help to keep you out of hospital if you catch COVID-19 and could save your life.

COVID-19 related deaths can lag behind a rise in cases and hospitalisations and an increase in deaths was not unexpected given the high number of cases over the past two weeks  However, it important to remember that each of these deaths represents significant loss for family and loved ones. Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with all their families and friends at this sad time.

DHBs have been planning and preparing for managing COVID-19 and the higher number of cases in the community, including managing more people in hospital. Our hospitals and their dedicated staff members continue to do what’s needed to make sure everyone gets the treatment they need.

DHBs have the flexibility to change their operations to respond to sharp increases in COVID-19 case numbers. Significant effort has been made by DHBs to maintain service delivery over recent months and measures have been put in place, such as extended hours, outsourcing of surgery to private provideres, and increased use of telehealth to maintain delivery of a wide range of services.

We sincerely thank DHB teams for their continued efforts during this time.

COVID-19 related deaths

As we have said, we are today reporting the deaths of seven people with COVID-19. Of these deaths, five occurred in the Auckland region, one in Waikato, and one in the Southern region. The total number of publicly reported COVID-19 related deaths to date is now 98.

Of the people who have died that we are announcing today, one person was in their fifties, four were in their 70s, one was their 80s, and one person was in their 90s. Four were male and three were female.

Out of respect for affected families, we will be making no further comment.

Home isolation

Following the Government’s announcement on Wednesday that isolation periods would drop from 10 to seven days, we wish to provide some further information to support people if they test positive for COVID-19 or are a household contact.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you are required to isolate for 7 days. You do not need to be retested after your intial positive result. If you still have symptoms after 7 days, stay home until you feel better and then wait another 24 hrs. Most people feel better after a week but if you are getting worse please do seek help.

If you are a household contact and you have done a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on both day 3 and 7 of the isolation period of the first COVID-19 positive person in your house, and both tests are negative, you can leave isolation on day 8 if you are well.

If you are a household contact and return a positive RATs result while isolating, you will need to isolate for a further 7 days and wait till 24 hours after you are symptom free. Other household members do not have to reset their isolation and can leave isolation on day 8, the same day as the first case can leave isolation, provided they have returned negative RATs results and are not symptomatic.

If you’re a critical worker, and you have a person in your household who has tested positive for COVID-19, you may be able to continue working if you 1) are fully vaccinated 2) you do not have symptoms and 3) you return a negative RAT before each shift or day of work. Your employer will be able to tell you if you are a critical worker and what you need to do. When not at work, you need to isolate like any other household contact as outlined above. Critical healthcare workers that are household contacts or cases have some additional exemptions. More detail can be found here.

The key message for everyone is if you feel sick, stay at home.

COVID-19 vaccine update

Today, we are announcing more than 60% of Pacific people across the motu that have become due, have now had their booster dose.

Vaccinations administered in New Zealand  

• Vaccines administered to date: 4,022,346 first doses; 3,967,353 second doses; 34,164 third primary doses; 2,496,823 booster doses: 252,273 paediatric first doses and 6,342 paediatric second doses  
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 213 first doses; 748 second doses; 53 third primary doses; 7,863 booster doses; 686 paediatric first doses and 299 paediatric second doses  

People vaccinated  

• All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,067,971 first dose (96.6%); 4,010,167 second dose (95.3%), 2,498,467 boosted (72.7% of those eligible)  
• Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,707 first dose (91.2%); 501,569 second dose (87.8%), 218,173 boosted (59.7% of those eligible)  
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,507 first dose (98.2%); 275,825 second dose (96.2%), 130,079 boosted (59.5% of those eligible)  
• 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 252,073 first dose (52.9%); 6,230 second dose (1.3%)  
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 38,794 first dose (33.6%); 1,017 second dose (0.9%)  
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,448 first dose (45.4%); 715 second dose (1.4%)  

Note that the number for “People vaccinated” differs slightly from “Vaccines administered” as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas.

Vaccination rates for all DHBs*   

• Northland DHB: first dose (90.5%); second dose (88.1%); boosted (70.2%)  
• Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.5%)  
• Waikato DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.7%); boosted (68.5%)  
• Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (69.2%)  
• Lakes DHB: first dose (93.7%); second dose (91.7%); boosted (69.4%)  
• MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (74.9%)  
• Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (70%)  
• Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (74.5%)  
• Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (72.8%)  
• Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (70%)  
• Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.6%)  
• Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.8%); second dose (98%); boosted (81.1%)  
• Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77.3%)  
• Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.3%)  
• West Coast DHB: first dose (93.1%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (74.5%)  
• Canterbury DHB: first dose (100%); second dose (98.9%); boosted (75.3%)  
• South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.3%); boosted (76.7%)  
• Southern DHB: first dose (98.3%); second dose (97.1%); boosted (75.1%)

*Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose

Hospitalisations* 

• Cases in hospital: total number 856: Northland: 13; North Shore: 173; Middlemore: 204; Auckland: 211; Waikato: 74; BOP: 21; Lakes: 11; Tairāwhiti: 1, Hawke’s Bay: 18; Taranaki: 10; MidCentral: 16; Whanganui: 5; Hutt Valley: 22; Capital and Coast: 38; Wairarapa: 4; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 20; Southern: 12.
• Average age of current hospitalisations: 57
• Cases in ICU or HDU: 20
• Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (101 cases / 18.7%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (14 cases / 2.59%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (193 cases / 35.74%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (153 cases / 28.33%); unknown (79 cases / 14.63%)

*While still early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that just over 3% of people aged 12 and over in the Northern Region have had no doses of the vaccine, while of those aged 12 and over in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19 for whom we have vaccination status recorded, 19% have had no doses of the vaccine.

Cases 

• Seven day rolling average of community cases: 19,866
• Number of new community cases: 20,989
• Number of new community cases (PCR): 669
• Number of new community cases (RAT): 20,320
• Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (765), Auckland (7,240), Waikato (1,941), Bay of Plenty (1,352), Lakes (510), Hawke’s Bay (855), MidCentral (682), Whanganui (188), Taranaki (519), Tairāwhiti (330), Wairarapa (174), Capital and Coast (1,746), Hutt Valley (1,044), Nelson Marlborough (443), Canterbury (2,160), South Canterbury (136), Southern (878), West Coast (22); Unknown (4)
• Number of new cases identified at the border: 23
• Number of active community cases (total): 209,754 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered) 
• Confirmed cases (total): 327,925

Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.

Tests 

• Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 4,614
• PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 03/03): 6,106
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 13.4 million