There were 577 new cases reported in Otago and Southland yesterday, the highest Sunday total since May 1.
The high figure yesterday, on what is usually a low day for case numbers as fewer people report Rat results over the weekend, reflects the high amount of Covid-19 in the region.
On Saturday 879 new cases were reported in the South: the previous Saturday, just before Dunedin hosted the All Blacks v Ireland rugby test, 650 new cases were reported.
As of yesterday the rolling seven-day average of cases in the South was 833; the previous week it was 700.
On Friday, southern public health officials warned that wastewater test results suggested that twice as many as people in the region had Covid-19 as had reported their positive test result to the Ministry of Health.
"It is now more important than ever to wear a mask when out in public," Te Whatu Ora Southern medical officer of health Susan Jack said.
"Wearing a mask is the easiest way you can protect yourself, your whanau, and the vulnerable members of your community from getting
Covid-19."
Although statistics were not available, health officials were aware of cases in the South where people who had already suffered through one recent bout of Covid-19 had become reinfected, Dr Jack said.
"Please be vigilant when out in the community, and practise good hand hygiene and physical distancing where appropriate."
A further six southerners who had Covid-19 died over the weekend: the national seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 22.
The six local deaths took the Otago and Southland toll of people who have died while Covid-19 positive to 138, almost 8% of the national death toll of 1763.
Across New Zealand there were 6223 new cases of Covid-19 reported yesterday, on top of 9241 new cases reported on Saturday.
Yesterday there were 733 people in hospital who had Covid-19, a rolling seven day average of 737 - up from 554 a week ago.
Hospitalisations in Otago and Southland dropped markedly over the weekend, from 49 on Friday to 22 yesterday.
While southern aged residential care facilities are experiencing a rapid rise in cases, a breakdown of active southern Covid cases shows that the disease continues to afflict people of all ages.
