The Ministry of Health has clarified the current death toll in the current Covid-19 outbreak.
Fifteen people died in this outbreak, which included two deaths this week.
The total number of deaths since Covid-19 arrived in this country is now 41.
The ministry said the figures included all cases that died which were classified as an active case of Covid-19 at the time of death.
It said in some of these cases, the underlying cause of death may have been unrelated to the virus.
The Ministry announced today it will now be reporting on the vaccination status of those who have died with Covid-19 in the current outbreak.
These numbers will be published on the Ministry of Health website and updated as privacy considerations allow.
There is sometimes a lag between the deaths being reported publicly and their inclusion in the Ministry of Health’s official numbers.
"Of the 15 deaths recorded by the Ministry of Health in the current outbreak to date, we can report that 10 were unvaccinated, two had one dose less than 14 days before they contracted Covid-19 and three were fully vaccinated (at least 14 days prior to contracting Covid-19)."
There is clear evidence that Covid-19 vaccination greatly reduces the likelihood people will end up in hospital or die from Covid-19. A British Medical Journal study reported last month, based on research carried out in Scotland, that Pfizer vaccine was 90% effective in preventing death from Covid-19 – where most infections were caused by the Delta variant.
Vaccination details of all August 2021 community cluster cases
| Vaccination status when reported as a case | Total cases | Cases who have been hospitalised |
|---|---|---|
| No doses received prior to being reported as a case | 3167 | 259 |
| Not eligible for vaccine due to being less than 12 years old | 1620 | 28 |
| 1 dose only, received less than 14 days before reported as a case | 530 | 37 |
| 1 dose only, received at least 14 days before reported as a case | 859 | 42 |
| Fully vaccinated but second dose less than 14 days before reported as a case | 275 | 8 |
| Fully vaccinated at least 14 days before reported as a case | 817 | 20 |
| Total | 7268 | 394 |
