There were 172 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Saturday, with infections across several North Island regions.
One of the cases is the infection first announced on Friday in Wellington. The person's first test was a weak positive, but they have now been confirmed as a case after returning a second positive test.
It comes amid the fourth anti-lockdown protest to be held at the Auckland Domain, with Brian Tamaki in attendance.
What you need to know
- There were 172 cases to report on Saturday - 148 in Auckland, 12 in Waikato, three in Bay of Plenty, four in Northland, four in Lakes, and one in Wellington.
- Seventy people are in hospital, five of whom are in intensive care or high dependency units.
- Auckland's border will open on December 15, allowing fully vaccinated Kiwis to travel to and from the region - people can also present a negative test result received within 72 hours prior to departure.
- The rest of New Zealand will move to the COVID-19 Protection Framework, the traffic light system, at the same time as Auckland - the date will be decided on November 29.
- Vaccine certificates are now available to download via My COVID Record.
- Keep up-to-date with the latest locations of interest here.
These live updates have now ended.
2:15pm - There are a number of new locations of interest across several different centres. They include:
- Countdown Dargaville - Tuesday, November 16 between 12:31pm and 1:30pm
- Salvation Army Family Store Manukau - Tuesday, November 16 between 1:09pm and 1:19pm
- Gas Waikari Fuel 24/7 Waikari - Tuesday, November 16 between 8pm and 9pm
- Z Brougham Street Waltham, Christchurch - Monday, November 15 between 11:05am and 12:05pm
- Z Amberley - Tuesday, November 16 between 8:20pm and 9:20pm
- Z Huntly - Thursday, November 18 between 12:30pm and 1:40pm
2:05pm - Most of the hospitalisations during this outbreak have been people who are unvaccinated. Here's the breakdown:
1:40pm - Here's the latest DHB by DHB breakdown of vaccination rates, including doses administered up until Friday night:
1:20pm - While Northland iwi are saying Aucklanders should bring body bags with them if they're planning to holiday there over summer, a high-profile former MP says they should bring their EFTPOS cards too.
Shane Jones, former Labour and Northland-based NZ First MP, told Newshub Nation on Saturday not all Māori were down with calls to keep the region locked down until Māori vaccination rates lift.
"I personally believe the border should be open... I am diametrically opposed to the prevailing iwi perspective that we should lock down until the laggards catch up with the rest of us. I think we just need to deal with the health consequences."
1:10pm - Here are more details on the new cases from the Ministry of Health:
My Vaccine Pass
As of mid-morning today, about 900,000 people had successfully downloaded their My Vaccine Pass.
The system is operating smoothly, and capacity has been increased, so we encourage people to go to MyCovidRecord.health.nz to book their My Vaccine Pass to be ready for summer.
Today’s cases
Today we are reporting new cases in Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Lakes DHB, Waikato, and Northland.
Due to our usual cut-off period, a case announced yesterday in Wellington is officially added to today’s case tally.
Information on the new cases is included in the regional updates below.
Auckland update
There are 148 new cases being reported in Auckland today.
There are 16 community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today. The Pukekohe community testing centre is open until 5.30pm over the weekend. Northcote, Balmoral and Wiri testing centres continue to operate extended hours.
For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website. Testing is also available at GP and Urgent Care clinics, the locations of these can be found on the Healthpoint website.
Public health staff are now supporting 5,430 people to safely isolate at home, which includes 2,459 cases.
Edmonton Meadows Care Home update
Twenty-one residents and five staff members of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in Henderson have now returned positive tests since the start of the outbreak. Three of the residents who tested positive for COVID-19 are receiving ward-level care at Auckland hospitals.
Wellington Region update
A case announced yesterday in Wellington is today being confirmed, following a repeat swab returning a second positive result.
The initial weak result, combined with the follow-up test, indicates the case is in the early stages of infection. They are self-isolating.
The case is a user of the COVID-19 tracer app, which will assist with contact tracing and identifying any locations of interest. So far, one location of interest has been identified – Countdown Cable Car Lane in Wellington Central – and has been added to the Ministry’s website. As investigations continue, more locations of interest may be confirmed by public health staff.
The positive result was picked up as part of routine surveillance testing in Wellington, for an essential worker from Auckland working in the city. Investigations have identified a small number of close contacts, including the case’s co-workers, who are currently isolating and being tested. So far, all results from this testing have come back negative.
We urge anyone in the Wellington region with COVID-19-related symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if they are vaccinated.
People are also encouraged to monitor the Ministry’s locations of interest webpage, which is updated regularly.
We are also calling for people to take advantage of the weekend to get vaccinated, with many sites available across the region.
COVID-19 testing and vaccination site locations are available on the Healthpoint website.
Bay of Plenty
There are three new cases being reported in the Bay of Plenty today. Two are in Tauranga and one is Mount Maunganui which is connected to an existing case. The two Tauranga cases are in the same household and investigations into the source of their infection are underway.
A further case tested positive after presenting to Tauranga Hospital emergency department late last night and will be added to official figures tomorrow.
Public health officials deem the risk from last night’s exposure event at Tauranga Hospital is low but are today carrying out further evaluations. One ward has been closed to both visitors and new patients out of an abundance of caution. Three staff members have been stood down as a precaution.
Everyone who lives in or has travelled to the region is asked to monitor locations of interest regularly and follow any advice given. Anyone with COVID-19 related symptoms is asked to get tested as soon as possible – even if the symptoms are mild.
Testing locations can be found on the Healthpoint website.
Lakes
There are four new cases in Lakes DHB being reported today.
Two of the new cases are connected to the Taupo cluster, one of which is in Rotorua Hospital. There are also two new cases in Rotorua. One is linked to an existing case and investigations into the other case are ongoing but potential links have already been identified.
Waikato update
There were 12 new cases being reported in Waikato today.
Across the Waikato there are eight pop-up and dedicated testing centres operating today at Hamilton, Ôtorohanga, Huntly, Ngâruawâhia, Thames, and Te Kuiti.
Testing will be available at South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust, 1 Maraetai Lane, in Tokoroa from 4 – 7pm today. Further testing from tomorrow will be announced on the Waikato DHB website.
Yesterday, there were around 2,400 tests processed across the region.
In Waikato, public health staff are supporting 135 cases to isolate at home.
Northland update
There are four new cases being reported for Northland today. One is in Kaitaia, one is in Ruakaka and one is in Dargaville. All three of these people are close contacts of existing cases and were already in isolation.
The fourth case resides in Auckland where they are isolating.
Yesterday across the region, there were 985 swabs taken and 903 vaccinations given.
Testing and vaccination clinics open today can be found on the Northland DHB website.
Testing, vaccinations this weekend
We continue to urge anyone in New Zealand with COVID-19-related symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if they are vaccinated.
We also encourage people to take advantage of the weekend to get vaccinated, with many sites available nationwide.
COVID-19 testing and vaccination site locations are available on the Healthpoint website.
1:05pm - There are 172 new community cases in New Zealand, with 148 in Auckland, 12 in Waikato, four in Northland, three in Bay of Plenty, four in Lakes and one in Wellington.
This Wellington case is the same case was announced on Friday, but it is being official added to the tally on Saturday. The person has been re-swabbed after returning an initial weak result, and the second test has returned a positive result.
| COVID-19 vaccine update | |
| Total first and second vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people) | 7,319,858: 3,832,898 first doses (91%); 3,486,960 second doses (83%) |
| Total first and second vaccines administered yesterday | 22,608: 6,833 first doses; 15,775 second doses |
| Mâori (percentage of eligible people) | 812,233: 449,676 first doses (79%); 362,557 second doses (63%) |
| Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people) | 478,385: 255,278 first doses (89%); 223,107 second doses (78%) |
| Total first and second vaccines administered to Auckland residents yesterday | 5,424: 1,433 first doses; 3,991 second doses |
| Vaccination rates by DHB (with active cases) | |
| Northland DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (84%); second doses (73%) |
| Auckland metro DHBs (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (93%); second doses (87%) |
| Waikato DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (90%); second doses (81%) |
| Bay of Plenty DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (87%); second doses (77%) |
| Lakes DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (86%); second doses (75%) |
| Taranaki DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (88%); second doses (78%) |
| MidCentral DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (90%); second doses (81%) |
| Wairarapa DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (91%); second doses (80%) |
| Capital and Coast DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (94%); second doses (88%) |
| Canterbury DHB (percentage of eligible people) | First doses (94%); second doses (84%) |
| Hospitalisations | |
| Cases in hospital* | 70 (including four still being assessed): North Shore (20); Middlemore (18); Auckland (30); Whangarei (1); Waikato (1) – a decrease of six hospitalisations on yesterday. |
| Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only as of 20 November) | Unvaccinated or not eligible (34 cases / 52%); partially vaccinated<14 days (8 cases / 12%) partially vaccinated >14 days (8 cases / 12%); fully vaccinated <14 days (2 cases / 3%) fully vaccinated >14 days (12 cases / 18%); unknown (1 case / 2%) |
| Average age of current hospitalisations | 50 |
| Cases in ICU or HDU | Five |
| Cases** | |
| Seven day rolling average of community cases | 190 |
| Number of new community cases | 172 |
| Number of new cases identified at the border | Two |
| Location of new community cases | Auckland (148), Waikato (12), Northland (4), Bay of Plenty (3) Lakes (4), Wellington (1) |
| Location of community cases (total) | Auckland 6,246 (2,158 of whom have recovered); Waikato 325 (98 of whom have recovered); Wellington 18 (17 of whom have recovered); Northland 62 (28 of whom have recovered); Nelson/Marlborough 1 (recovered); Canterbury 6 (3 of whom have recovered); Taranaki 6; Lakes 21; MidCentral 3; Bay of Plenty 10; Wairarapa 3 |
| Number of community cases (total)*** | 6,701 (in current community outbreak) |
| Confirmed cases (total) | 9,461 |
| Historical cases**** | 196 out of 7,649 cases since 1 January |
| Cases infectious in the community | 50 of yesterday’s cases reported have exposure events |
| Cases in isolation throughout the period they were infectious | 107 of yesterday’s reported cases have no exposure events |
| Cases epidemiologically linked | 75 of today’s 172 new cases |
| Cases to be epidemiologically linked | 97 of today’s 172 new cases |
| Cases epidemiologically linked (total) | 5,128 (833 unlinked in the last 14 days) |
| Contacts | |
| Number of active contacts being managed (total): | 5,813 |
| Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements) | 69% |
| Percentage who have returned at least one result | 50% |
| Locations of interest | |
| Locations of interest (total) | 96 (as at 10am, 20 November) |
| Tests | |
| Number of tests (total) | 4,634,869 |
| Number of tests total (last 24 hours) | 33,663 |
| Tests processed in Auckland (last 24 hours) | 11,332 |
| Tests rolling average (last 7 days) | 29,188 |
| Testing centres in Auckland | 16 |
| Wastewater | |
| Wastewater detections | No unexpected detections to report. |
| NZ COVID Tracer | |
| Registered users (total) | 3,384,618 |
| Poster scans (total) | 518,668,640 |
| Manual diary entries (total) | 20,431,814 |
| Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday | 2,941,946 |
12:55pm - Brian Tamaki, the Destiny Church leader, has been reportedly seen among protesters at the Auckland Domain rally. He is current facing charges related to allegedly organising a previous protest and then also allegedly breaching his bail to attend another. He has pleaded not guilty.
12:40pm - There will be no press conference at 1pm today. The Ministry of Health will instead release a statement with the latest updates.
12:30pm - The Ministry of Health has announced two new locations of interest at 12pm.
The first is Parram Grocery Store in Christchurch and the second is Pak'nSave Whangarei.
For the full list and advice on what to do if you have been at a location of interest click here.
12:18pm - More people are turning up to the Auckland Domain for the anti-lockdown protest on Saturday.
Photos on Twitter show people holding signs that says, "No jab, no job, no passport. The new jew."
Another photo shows a person harassing police while in a different picture, a woman is seen carrying a sign containing Swastika.
12:00pm - Protesters are also gathering in Wellington's Civic Square.
11:54am - Protesters are beginning to gather at the Auckland Domain. One person is holding a sign that says, "Jesus is coming. Repent now."
Lots of the protesters are sitting under umbrellas with not many people wearing masks.
11:27am - Protesters are set to gather at the Auckland Domain for the fourth time since the beginning of October.
Protesters from the Freedoms and Rights Coalition will gather at the Domain from 11am on Saturday.
Police are aware of the situation and are monitoring it. They warn this could cause disruptions to traffic.
"Police are aware of the potential for planned protests to cause some disruption to traffic this weekend in Tāmaki Makaurau," Police told Newshub.
"Locations that protesters are expected to gather, including Auckland Domain, will be monitored by Police.
"Police ask the community to be patient on the roads as we expect there might be some traffic delays and disruptions, particularly near the Domain on Saturday and in the wider CBD on Sunday.
"Police recognise that individuals have a lawful right to protest, however, this should not be at the expense of restrictions that are designed to keep our community safe.
"Police are also reminding those who plan on attending the protests to conduct themselves in a calm manner and adhere to COVID-19 level 3 restrictions.
"Breaches of the health order or other illegal behaviour may be followed up with enforcement action."
11:20am - Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has placed the blame for her people's low rate of vaccination squarely on the Government, saying many Māori don't trust the "very white" approach it's taken.
Māori lag behind other ethnicities when it comes to getting protected against COVID-19, despite being at statistically higher risk of infection and serious illness. Nearly half the cases in the Delta outbreak are Māori, who also make up nearly a third of those hospitalised with the virus, far more than their share of the population.
Read the full story here.
11:00am - A South Island Mayor is calling for the trans-Tasman bubble to be reopened, saying Aucklanders pose a similar COVID-19 risk to Australian travellers.
From December 15, fully vaccinated people will be able to travel across the Auckland border freely while those unvaccinated will need a negative COVID-19 test.
With lots of South Island businesses heavily reliant on tourism, one Mayor says allowing Australians into the country would make a "massive difference to businesses."
Read the full story here.
10:37am - The Ministry of Health has released five new locations of interest including Harvey Norman in Whangārei, Countdown Cable Car Lane Wellington, Countdown in Huntly and two new Hamilton locations.
For the full list click here.
10:20am - Thousands of Kiwis could find themselves in a difficult situation when trying to leave the country, after a Canadian man made an unexpected discovery about COVID-19 testing over the holiday period.
Canadian Josh McConnell told Newshub he plans to move back to Toronto with his Kiwi wife on January 5, 2022 and requires a pre-departure test within 72-hours of departure.
But he has stumbled upon an issue that could make it incredibly difficult to get a pre-departure test.
Read the full story here.
10:00am - Having two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might soon not count as being 'fully vaccinated', says the Ministry of Health.
The vaccine, one of the first based on groundbreaking mRNA technology to be rolled out globally, has proved its efficacy over the past 12 months, with vaccinated people far less likely to be infected, hospitalised or die than the unvaccinated.
Earlier this week the UK said it would soon redefine 'fully vaccinated' as having had three shots - not two, as originally designed.
"It's very clear that getting three jabs, getting your booster, will become an important fact and it will make life easier for you in all sorts of ways," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. "We will have to adjust our concept of what constitutes a full vaccination to take account of that, and I think that is increasingly obvious."
Read the full story here.
9:50am - Kia ora, good morning, and welcome to Newshub's live updates on the COVID-19 outbreak for Saturday, November 20.
