Three new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Canterbury over the past 24 hours, bringing the region’s total to 49.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said on Monday the new nationwide confirmed or probable cases total is 589, with 76 new cases over the last 24 hours.
Canterbury still has fewer cases than the Auckland, Southern, Waitemata, Waikato, and Capital and Coast DHB areas.
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The Ministry of Health is also investigating how a cluster of cases of Covid-19 linked to a workplace in Christchurch are related.
Sixteen new cases of Covid-19 were announced in Canterbury over the weekend – six on Sunday and 10 on Saturday.
And on Sunday, New Zealand saw its first death due to the virus - a West Coast woman in her 70s.
During a live update at 1pm, Dr Bloomfield said New Zealand has two people in intensive care and three people are expected to be discharged soon.
One person is in Dunedin Hospital, with the rest in hospitals around New Zealand, including four in Wellington Hospital.
One probable case previously reported is now considered a confirmed case.
He said only 2 per cent - or 10 - of NZ's 455 cases fully tracked by the MOH are considered to have been spread by community transmission.
The majority of the other cases are travel-related.
Dr Bloomfield said people over 65, frontline health workers, pregnant women and those with respiratory conditions have priority for flu vaccinations. He asked others to be patient while they wait for vaccinations.
"You should not be seeking a vaccination or expecting to be called until at least mid-April."w
He said 18,000 vaccinations have been distributed and there is a good supply of the vaccine in NZ.
Dr Bloomfield urged people to sign up to report flu symptoms.
Total cases by DHB
As at 9.00 am, 30 March 2020
| DHB | Total cases |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 91 |
| Bay of Plenty | 11 |
| Canterbury | 49 |
| Capital and Coast | 57 |
| Counties Manukau | 40 |
| Hawke's Bay | 12 |
| Hutt Valley | 13 |
| Lakes | 9 |
| MidCentral | 11 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 20 |
| Northland | 9 |
| South Canterbury | 7 |
| Southern | 83 |
| Tairāwhiti | 1 |
| Taranaki | 11 |
| Waikato | 76 |
| Wairarapa | 5 |
| Waitemata | 78 |
| West Coast | 3 |
| Whanganui | 3 |
| Total | 589 |
Total cases by age and gender
Total cases by age as at 9.00 am, 30 March 2020
Total cases by gender as at 9.00 am, 30 March 2020
Total cases by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | No. of cases |
|---|---|
| Asian | 47 |
| European or Other | 430 |
| Māori | 27 |
| Middle Eastern / Latin American / African | 17 |
| Pacific People | 14 |
| Unknown | 54 |
Ethnicity numbers of all cases as at 9.00 am, 30 March 2020
