The Ministry of Health on Monday reported that the country had recorded 17,522 community cases, up from 15,161 on Sunday.
What you need to know:
- There were 17,522 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Monday.
- Location of Monday's new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (509), Auckland (7,639), Waikato (1,541), Bay of Plenty (1,174), Lakes (475), Hawke’s Bay (435), MidCentral (400), Whanganui (95), Taranaki (311), Tairāwhiti (217), Wairarapa (99), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (837), Nelson Marlborough (329), Canterbury (1,308), South Canterbury (82), Southern (506), West Coast (14); Unknown (6)
- Cases in hospital: total number 696: Northland: 7; North Shore: 136; Middlemore: 195; Auckland: 189; Waikato: 53; BOP: 23; Rotorua: 7; Tairawhiti: 2; Hawke’s Bay: 8; Taranaki: 6; MidCentral: 13; Wairarapa: 3; Hutt Valley: 7; Capital and Coast: 24; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 14; Southern: 5.
- More RAT collection sites will be operating this week, including in Christchurch, Wellington and Palmerston North.
These live updates have now finished.
1:30 - Chatham Islands update from the Ministry of Health:
We are reporting two COVID-19 cases in Chatham Islands today.
These two cases are already isolating and being supported on the Islands.
Canterbury DHB, which manages health services on the Islands, is distributing RATs to all households early this week, as a precaution to allow early detection of positive cases.
The Ministry would urge anyone who has not already been vaccinated and boosted on the Islands to do so to reduce the chances of getting severely ill and requiring hospital care if they get COVID-19. The Chatham Islands Health Centre is providing vaccinations today.
1:25pm - The Ministry of Health says care needs to be taken when interpreting the daily case numbers as they are expected to fluctuate.
"This means that the seven-day rolling average of cases gives a more reliable indicator of testing trends. The seven-day rolling average of cases is today 17,921, up from 17,272 yesterday," it says.
"The number of cases and hospitalisations is a reminder of the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted."
On Sunday, 5697 booster shots were administered.
1:20pm - There are 17,522 new cases of COVID-19 in the community, the Ministry of Health says. It says there are 696 people in hospital, including 13 in ICU or HDU.
COVID-19 vaccine update
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,021,400 first doses; 3,964,288 second doses; 34,006 third primary doses; 2,460,908 booster doses: 249,680 paediatric first doses and 5,189 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 116 first doses; 313 second doses; 3 third primary doses; 5,697 booster doses; 619 paediatric first doses and 183 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,066,190 first dose (96.6%); 4,007,184 second dose (95.2%), 2,462,560 boosted (72.3% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,101 first dose (91.1%); 500,441 second dose (87.6%), 212,992 boosted (59.8% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,186 first dose (98.1%); 275,356 second dose (96%), 127,965 boosted (59.4% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 249,527 first dose (52.4%); 5,119 second dose (1.1%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 37,973 first dose (32.9%); 859 second dose (0.7%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,215 first dose (45%); 647 second dose (1.3%)
Note that the number for “People vaccinated” differs slightly from “Vaccines administered” as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas.
Vaccination rates for all DHBs*
- Northland DHB: first dose (90.4%); second dose (88%); boosted (70%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.1%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (68.2%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.3%); second dose (93.4%); boosted (69.1%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.7%); second dose (91.6%); boosted (69.7%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (74.6%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91%); boosted (70.3%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.6%); boosted (74.3%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.3%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (72.5%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (69.5%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.7%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.8%); second dose (98%); boosted (80.6%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (76.8%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (76.2%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (93.1%); second dose (91.3%); boosted (74.4%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.9%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (74.7%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.2%); boosted (76.1%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.2%); second dose (97%); boosted (75.1%)
*Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose
Hospitalisations*
- Cases in hospital: total number 696: Northland: 7; North Shore: 136; Middlemore: 195; Auckland: 189; Waikato: 53; BOP: 23; Rotorua: 7; Tairawhiti: 2; Hawke’s Bay: 8; Taranaki: 6; MidCentral: 13; Wairarapa: 3; Hutt Valley: 7; Capital and Coast: 24; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 14; Southern: 5.
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 57
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 13
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (78 cases / 16.5%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (13 cases / 2.8%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (173 cases / 36.9%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (114 cases / 24.3%); unknown (91 cases / 19.4%)
*While still early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, unvaccinated people are four times over-represented in the current hospitalisation data. Just 3% of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand have had no doses of the vaccine, however, of the eligible people in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19, 13% have had no doses of the vaccine.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 17,921
- Number of new community cases: 17,522
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 897
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 16,625
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (509), Auckland (7,639), Waikato (1,541), Bay of Plenty (1,174), Lakes (475), Hawke’s Bay (435), MidCentral (400), Whanganui (95), Taranaki (311), Tairāwhiti (217), Wairarapa (99), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (837), Nelson Marlborough (329), Canterbury (1,308), South Canterbury (82), Southern (506), West Coast (14); Unknown (6)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 11 (3 confirmed, 8 probable)
- Number of active community cases (total): 192,492 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 239,535
Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.
Tests
- Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 4,752
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 03/03): 14,397
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 9.7 million
1:15pm - The Ministry of Health says 28 people who were at the protest at Parliament have tested positive for COVID-19. These people are "thought to be protesters", but they have not been interviewed.
"In Phase 3, cases are not routinely interviewed by health officials and are instead asked to fill out a contact tracing form. Only cases that are identified through their interaction with the health system can therefore be identified as having attended the protest," a spokesperson told Newshub
Anyone who was at the protest is advised to get tested and isolate at home if they have symptoms.
Cases who were at the protest have been reported in the following DHBs: Wairarapa, Waitemata, Waikato, Taranaki, Southern, MidCentral, Tairawhiti, Hutt Valley, Counties Manukau, Capital and Coast and Canterbury,
12:55pm - As we wait for the latest COVID-19 update, here's a look at the current situation following Sunday's lot of cases:
12:40pm - A woman has been filmed in a heated exchange with anti-mandate protesters, calling one of them "an absolute moron".
The video, which has gone viral on social media, shows the woman confronting two protesters saying "they're ruining it for everybody".
"Were you down in Wellington bringing all your germs back here," she says.
12:30pm - The below graph illustrates the rapid increase in cases New Zealand has seen over the last few weeks, but also the drop off in the last few days. The Ministry of Health says this may be down to delays in people reporting their RATs results.
12:20pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates for Monday. We are currently waiting on the Ministry of Health's 1pm update with all the latest data, but in the meantime, here's a look at an announcement today about an increase to the number of RAT collection sites:
More Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection points are being established in some of our biggest cities to meet continued demand.
On Saturday, 34,000 RAT orders were placed through the RAT requester site. Another 3.5 million RATs were sent out to collection sites around the country on Sunday. A total of a further 8 million RATs arrived in the country over the weekend.
'The Ministry is working with DHBs so that 90% of the population will be able to collect their pre-ordered RAT within a 20 minute driving distance if they're symptomatic or in a household with someone with symptoms,' Deputy Chief Executive COVID-19 Health System Response, Bridget White said.
'To meet this goal, there are already 300 collection points across the country and more are planned for this week.
'To facilitate access in Christchurch, a large scale community testing centre will be up and running at the Christchurch Arena from today, the Wellington Region will have an additional collection site stood up from Tuesday, and Palmerston North will have three additional sites this week.
'On top of the collection sites, some DHBs are delivering RATs to parts of the community who are unable to easily get to a collection site while others are distributing through community providers.
'Last Thursday saw the biggest day for demand for RATs across the country with more than 1.5 million tests given out in 24 hours. Since then demand has been levelling out. For example, Friday's volume was less than half of the previous day.
'But as we see the high case numbers continue, further drive through only services and delivery options are also being considered.
'There is ample supply of RATs in the country. We urge people to be patient and make sure they both need a test and are going to the right places to get one.
'Separate to those new stocks arriving at the weekend, the Ministry has 9.3 million RATs in stock. Over 10 million RATs were distributed throughout New Zealand last week.
'We ask New Zealanders to be patient with staff at testing centres. They are working as hard as they can. Abusive or aggressive behaviour does not help anyone and may force centres to close due to health and safety reasons,' Bridget White said.
