In a statement this afternoon, the Ministry of Health said nationally there were 9570 community cases, 425 hospitalisations and 32 deaths.
The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers is 8024 - last Wednesday it was 7533.
The Ministry advised that getting vaccinated and good public health behaviours were two of the most effective ways to avoid getting Covid this winter and minimise the impacts of the virus.
"Stay home and avoid others if you’re unwell, isolating or awaiting results of a Covid-19 test.
"Masks are still required in many indoor settings. Wearing a mask halves the risk of spread of Covid-19 and so it is also encouraged in settings where social distancing isn’t practical. You must also wear a face mask on flights and public transport, and in taxi and ride-share services - unless you are exempt."
Deaths pass 1000-mark
There are 32 new deaths to be reported today and include people who have died over the previous six weeks since April 5, taking the national death toll to 1017.
The 7-day rolling average of reported deaths is 17.
In the latest deaths, two people were from Northland; nine from the Auckland region; two from Bay of Plenty; two from Taranaki; one from Tairawhiti; four from MidCentral; two from Hawke’s Bay; three from the Wellington region; one from Nelson-Marlborough; four from Canterbury and two from Southern.
One person was in their 20s; four people were in their 40s; two in their 50s; four in their60s; nine in their 70s; nine in their 80s and three were aged over 90.
Of these people, 10 were women and 22 were men.
The Ministry also advised it has changed the process for formally coding the cause of death for those who are known to have died within 28 days of a Covid-19 infection or as a result of a Covid infection.
It means most of the deaths that have now been publicly announced have been assessed as either having Covid-19 as the underlying cause, contributing to the death, or unrelated to the death.
As of this morning:
• 447 people have died with Covid-19 as the underlying cause of death. Of these, 439 died within 28 days of being reported as a case.
• 231 people have died with Covid-19 as a contributing cause of death. Of these, 229 died within 28 days of being reported as a case.
• 161 people, all of whom died within 28 days of being reported as a case, had a cause of death unrelated to Covid-19
• 138 people who died within 28 days of being reported as a case have yet to be classified. In some instances, the cause of death can take longer to determined, including if it is being investigated by a coroner.
While there has been a significant increase in the number of deaths from Covid since the start of the Omicron outbreak, New Zealand has still experienced significantly lower cumulative Covid-19 mortality than most countries, the Ministry said.
Hospitalisations
There are 425 people in hospital throughout New Zealand today, including nine in intensive care or a high-dependency unit. Twenty-eight people are in Southern DHB hospitals.
Cases in hospital: total number 425: Northland: 13; Waitemata: 50; Counties Manukau: 38; Auckland: 113; Waikato: 25; Bay of Plenty: 11; Lakes: 5; Tairāwhiti: 2; Hawke’s Bay: 16; Taranaki: 10; Whanganui: 1; MidCentral: 20; Wairarapa: 0; Hutt Valley: 6; Capital and Coast: 20; Nelson Marlborough: 8; Canterbury: 49; South Canterbury: 8; West Coast: 2; Southern: 28
Community case numbers
Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (273), Auckland (3,297), Waikato (742), Bay of Plenty (307), Lakes (173), Hawke’s Bay (304), MidCentral (318), Whanganui (124), Taranaki (283), Tairāwhiti (82), Wairarapa (91), Capital and Coast (642), Hutt Valley (241), Nelson Marlborough (314), Canterbury (1,368), South Canterbury (155), Southern (737), West Coast (112), Unknown (7)
Meanwhile, there are 91 new imported cases reported today.
- ODT Online
