The Ministry of Health said there is a continuing spread of the Omicron variant throughout the country, with just over 1300 more cases than yesterday.
Southern DHB region has a high rate of infection, with 929 cases per 100,000 population. There are 3318 active cases in the region.
There's been a big increase in the reported cases in the Canterbury areas, with a total of 1025 new community cases reported today - 981 in Christchurch and 44 in South Canterbury.
In a statement this afternoon, the Ministry said 305 people were in New Zealand hospitals, including five in intensive care.
Most were in Auckland, but there were also 45 people in Waikato hospitals and three each in Southern and Canterbury DHB areas.
A person who tested positive for Covid-19 died in a Northland hospital yesterday from an unrelated medical condition.
There were also 41 new cases reported at the border.
There are now 67,632 active cases in New Zealand and there's been 85,667 confirmed cases since the pandemic began in 2020.
The Ministry said more than two thirds of eligible Kiwis have now had their booster - "a huge step" in the fight against the spread of Omicron in communities.
Wild weather, traffic and queues didn’t deter the 70% of those eligible, who turned out at vaccination clinics across the country in recent weeks.
Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (225), Auckland (9,046), Waikato (1,519), Bay of Plenty (812), Lakes (208), Hawke’s Bay (136), MidCentral (142), Whanganui (19), Taranaki (100), Tairāwhiti (69), Wairarapa (45), Capital and Coast (516), Hutt Valley (373), Nelson Marlborough (158), Canterbury (981), South Canterbury (44), Southern (532), West Coast (9); Unknown (5).
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.
The Ministry said three Auckland DHBs continue to predominate with the highest rates of infection in New Zealand (Auckland 1,843 cases per 100,000 population; Counties Manukau 2,596 per 100,000 population and Waitemata 1,179 per 100,000 population. Other areas with higher rates include Waikato with 913 per 100,000 population and Bay of Plenty with 759 per 100,000 population.
A large proportion of recent cases are under 30 years of age, it said. In the past fortnight, of the 14,940 cases reported, 59% have been under 30 years of age and 12% over the age of 50. The two age groups with the highest percentage of cases are people aged between 10-19 years of age and those aged between 20-29 which account for 25% and 25% of cases, respectively.
The opposite pattern is seen in those who are in hospital with Covid. Of the current 236 patients in hospital in the Northern region (there are 305 in the whole country), there are 19% who are under the age of 30 and 54% over the age of 50.
"This reflects similar trends seen overseas where younger people, who are more socially active, often have higher infection rates, though it is the older age groups which are most likely to require hospital treatment from Covid."
- ODT Online
