Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said on Tuesday the national total of new confirmed or probable cases is now at 647, with 58 new cases over the past 24 hours.
Canterbury is still sixth behind Southern, Auckland, Waitemata, Waikato and Capital and Coast.
A cluster of Covid-19 cases is also being investigated by the Ministry of Health at a Christchurch workplace.
At today's press conference, Dr Bloomfield said although the number of cases has dropped in the past day, we still need to expect an increase over the next seven to 10 days.
"Our hope is that those numbers will start to decline, particularly if people keep doing as asked of them and maintaining physical distancing and isolation," he said.
The majority of the cases continue to be related to overseas travel.
Dr Bloomfield said only one per cent of cases were considered by the MOH to have been spread by community transmission.
At today's update, Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black said to continue being kind, especially to those with Covid-19, and reiterated the need for people to stop congregating in public places in spite of the lockdown rules.
"We're all in this together.
"People who have, or suspect they have Covid-19 need to be treated with compassion and support - no one catches this virus on purpose," she said.
"And unfortunately, the Kiwi tradition of passing something over the fence to your neighbour is not advised either."
Total cases by DHB
As at 9.00 am, 31 March 2020
| DHB | Total cases |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 97 |
| Bay of Plenty | 15 |
| Canterbury | 52 |
| Capital and Coast | 58 |
| Counties Manukau | 47 |
| Hawke's Bay | 15 |
| Hutt Valley | 13 |
| Lakes | 11 |
| MidCentral | 11 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 22 |
| Northland | 9 |
| South Canterbury | 7 |
| Southern | 98 |
| Tairāwhiti | 1 |
| Taranaki | 13 |
| Waikato | 81 |
| Wairarapa | 5 |
| Waitemata | 86 |
| West Coast | 3 |
| Whanganui | 3 |
| Total | 647 |
Total cases by age and gender
Total cases by age as at 9.00 am, 31 March 2020
Total cases by gender as at 9.00 am, 31 March 2020
Total cases by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | No. of cases |
|---|---|
| Asian | 49 |
| European or Other | 467 |
| Māori | 38 |
| Middle Eastern / Latin American / African | 17 |
| Pacific People | 18 |
| Unknown | 58 |
Transmission
This information refers to the 648 confirmed and probable cases as at 9 am 31 March 2020.
| Source of transmission | % of cases |
|---|---|
| Recent overseas travel | 53% |
| Contact with known case | 29% |
| Community transmission | 1% |
| Source under investigation | 17% |
Lab testing
| Lab testing | Tests | Date range |
|---|---|---|
| 7-day rolling average | 1,777 (per day) | 24 - 30 March 2020 |
| Total lab tests to date | 21,384 | 3 - 30 March 2020 |
