There were 22,951 first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses administered yesterday, made up of 6,343 first doses and 16,608 second doses.
Today’s cases include five in Taranaki, as detailed below. These were first announced by the Ministry on Thursday night but have today been officially added to our case numbers.
A previously reported border case has now been identified as ‘not a case’ – today’s net increase of cases is 176
As has been previously advised this morning, Toi Te Ora Public Health has notified the Ministry of a positive COVID-19 case in Taupō.
The person was tested on Thursday after becoming symptomatic earlier in the week.
Interviews are continuing today to determine any links to known cases.
Toi Te Ora is following up on any potential locations of interest. Potential locations of interest will be notified on the Ministry’s locations of interest page.
The person’s four household contacts are being tested today.
There is additional testing capacity in and around Taupō today and we urge anyone who may have symptoms, however mild, to visit one of the sites and get a test.
The five cases we’re officially reporting in Taranaki today are part of the Stratford household of six first announced by the Ministry yesterday.
All six cases tested positive on Thursday evening in Stratford, including one who was admitted to Taranaki Base Hospital for COVID-19 related reasons. The person has now been discharged and is at home isolating with the five remaining cases.
All cases are clearly linked and there is also a link to the Auckland outbreak.
Public health staff have tested five other people identified as close contacts. Three have returned negative results, including two people who’d been in the Wairarapa. We’re awaiting two further results.
The latest wastewater result for Stratford has not detected COVID-19.
Testing numbers around the region yesterday were up (1,095 tests were completed) and additional capacity remains in place today and tomorrow.
A Ngati Ruanui pop up testing site has also opened in Albion Street, Hawera. It is open from 10am today
As of Friday, 86% of the eligible population in Taranaki had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 72% had received a second dose. For Mâori in Taranaki, 72% have had at least one dose, and 52% have received their second dose.
Today we are reporting two new cases which both have clear links to known cases.
There has been one new location of interest identified by public health over the past 24 hours – Pak'nSave Kaitaia. Details are on the Ministry’s website.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, is urged to get tested. Testing locations in Northland can be found on the Northland DHB website
There were strong vaccination numbers around Northland yesterday and we want to thanks Northlanders for continuing to play their part.
There were 1,517 people vaccinated in the region yesterday, with about 60 percent of those in the Far North.
More than half of everyone vaccinated in Northland yesterday identified as Māori.
Vaccination centres open in Northland today can be found on the Northland DHB website
There also continues to be a good turnout for testing with 1,249 swabs taken throughout Northland yesterday. The testing volumes continue to be high in Dargaville, Kaiwaka and Kaitaia.
Today we are reporting eight new cases in Waikato - seven are known contacts and public health staff are today investigating the remaining case to determine any links to known cases.
Four of the cases are from Hamilton, three from Ōtorohanga, and one location is yet to be confirmed following further investigation.
The case reported yesterday without a location has now been confirmed as Ōtorohanga.
There are seven pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating across Waikato today in Hamilton, Thames, Huntly, Ōtorohanga, and Te Kuiti. For further details, please visit the Waikato DHB website
There were 2,686 tests processed in Waikato yesterday.
Public health staff in Waikato are now supporting 234 people to isolate at home, including 89 cases and 145 contacts.
There are 16 community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today.
Public health staff are renewing their calls to anyone in Auckland who is displaying any symptoms, no matter how mild, to get tested. The testing centres at Northcote, Balmoral and Wiri continue to operate extended hours to increase access to testing.
We wish to reiterate our thanks to frontline testing staff across the region – in the past 7 days there have been 101,423 tests received at labs and testing teams have been out in all weathers to do their bit for the COVID-19 response.
Public health staff are now supporting 3,333 people to isolate at home around Auckland - this includes 1,655 cases.