In a statement the Ministry of Health said nationally, there are 5554 new community cases, 368 people are in hospitals throughout the country and there have been 11 more deaths.
The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 5777 - last Wednesday it was 6035.
Of the latest deaths, one person was from Northland, two from the Auckland region, one from Waikato, one from Hawke’s Bay, one from MidCentral, one from the Wellington region, two from Canterbury and two from Southern.
Two people were aged in their 60s; five were in their 70s; one in their 80s; and three were over 90. Seven were women and four were men.
The total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid is now 1359 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 13.
Hospitalisations
Total number 368: Northland: 9; Waitematā: 41; Counties Manukau: 28; Auckland: 62; Waikato: 39; Bay of Plenty: 15; Lakes: 0; Tairāwhiti: 1; Hawke’s Bay: 5; Taranaki: 7; Whanganui: 2; MidCentral: 29; Wairarapa: 4; Hutt Valley: 29; Capital and Coast: 21; Nelson Marlborough: 10; Canterbury: 48; South Canterbury: 2; West Coast: 0; Southern: 16.
There are seven people in ICU or a high-dependency unit.
Cases in community
Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (138), Auckland (1,659), Waikato (372), Bay of Plenty (194), Lakes (76), Hawke’s Bay (179), MidCentral (223), Whanganui (54), Taranaki (188), Tairāwhiti (46), Wairarapa (71), Capital and Coast (506), Hutt Valley (219), Nelson Marlborough (227), Canterbury (839), South Canterbury (76), Southern (442), West Coast (40), Unknown (5).
Meanwhile, there are 70 new imported cases reported today.
Preparing for winter
The Ministry said Covid-19 continues to circulate in the community and the impact of winter respiratory illnesses, including flu, are putting additional pressure on the health system.
"We’ve been planning for a challenging winter and are working with our regional colleagues to manage capacity and demand, prioritise urgent care and deliver as much planned care as possible.
"We need everyone to do their bit to help us get through winter. We’d like to encourage everyone to get their flu vaccine this year, which can help protect against four different strains of the virus and reduce the need for hospitalisation."
The Ministry encouraged people to get vaccinated against Covid; wear a mask; physically distance; practise good hand hygiene; and don’t go out if unwell but get tested and self-report the result - whether positive or negative - on My COVID Record.
"This helps us to understand the spread of Covid-19 and where to direct our public health resources."
- ODT Online
