Hospitalisations continue to be a focus, with 853 people in hospital today, 17 of which were in ICU.
What you need to know:
- There were 18,699 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Saturday.
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (670), Auckland (6,077), Waikato (1,700), Bay of Plenty (1,247), Lakes (496), Hawke’s Bay (730), MidCentral (667), Whanganui (162), Taranaki (462), Tairāwhiti (377), Wairarapa (169), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (937), Nelson Marlborough (424), Canterbury (2,028), South Canterbury (118), Southern (848), West Coast (32); Unknown (10)
- There are 853 people in hospital, including 17 in ICU
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 19; North Shore: 172; Middlemore: 199; Auckland: 208; Waikato: 69; Bay of Plenty: 28; Lakes: 12; Tairāwhiti: 3, Hawke’s Bay: 23; Taranaki: 10; MidCentral: 18; Whanganui: 2; Hutt Valley: 19; Capital and Coast: 33; Wairarapa: 5; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 22; Southern: 8
- Chris Hipkins has announced that the isolation period for anyone that tests positive for COVID and their household contacts has reduced from 10 to seven days
These live updates are now over.
1:55pm- According to Ministry of Health data, 72.7 percent of eligible Kiwis have had their COVID-19 booster shot as of 11:59pm on March 11.
65.51 percent of the total population over 18 years old have has a booster shot. However, the ministry says it is concerning that this percentage is a lot higher than the percentage for Māori over 18 (45.22 percent) and Pacific peoples (52.76 percent).
1:35pm - COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the NZ Herald despite feeling confident in where New Zealand is placed for the Omicron peak, he warns the death toll could jump if the virus spreads among the elderly.
"I'm feeling a lot more optimistic than I was a month ago when I was feeling incredibly nervous about where we were going to head," Hipkins told the outlet.
"Obviously, any death in any way, shape or form is a tragedy. But I'm optimistic that we're not going to see that huge sort of daily number of people dying that we've seen in other places."
1:06pm- Ministry of Health's update on the home isolation changes that commenced on 11:59pm on Friday night:
As of 11.59pm last night, the isolation period for cases and household contacts has now reduced from 10 to seven days.
This change applies to anyone who is isolating at the time of the change.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you are required to isolate for 7 days. You do not need to be retested after your initial positive result. If you still have symptoms after 7 days, stay home until you feel better and then wait another 24 hours.
If you are a household contact and you have done a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on both days 3 and 7 of the isolation period of the first COVID-19 positive person in your house, and both tests are negative, you can leave isolation on day 8 if you are well.
If you are a household contact and return a positive RAT result while isolating, you will need to isolate for a further 7 days and wait till 24 hours after you are symptom free. Other household members do not have to reset their isolation and can leave isolation on day 8, the same day as the first case can leave isolation, provided they have returned negative RAT results and are not symptomatic.
If you’ve tested negative, but still feel sick or symptomatic, we strongly advise you to follow public health guidance and stay home and away from public places, work and other social gatherings to keep others and yourself safe. You should retest in 48 hours if symptoms persist or worsen.
1:05pm- Ministry of Health's update on COVID-19 related deaths:
As we have said, we are today reporting the deaths of seven people with COVID-19. Of these deaths, three occurred in the Auckland region, and one each in Bay of Plenty, MidCentral, Wellington and Canterbury.
The total number of publicly reported COVID-19 related deaths to date is now 105.
Of the people who have died that we are announcing today, one person was in their fifties, two were in their 70s, two were in their 80s, and two were in their 90s. Four were male and three were female.
Out of respect for affected families, we will be making no further comment.
1:00pm - Here's the full data just in from the Ministry of Health:
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,022,553 first doses; 3,968,025 second doses; 34,234 third primary doses; 2,505,482 booster doses: 252,911 paediatric first doses and 6,869 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 207 first doses; 643 second doses; 52 third primary doses; 8,598 booster doses; 635 paediatric first doses and 525 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,068,341 first dose (96.7%); 4,010,902 second dose (95.3%), 2,507,124 boosted (72.7% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,820 first dose (91.2%); 501,787 second dose (87.9%), 219,246 boosted (59.6% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,549 first dose (98.2%); 275,914 second dose (96.2%), 130,604 boosted (59.6% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 252,704 first dose (53.1%); 6,744 second dose (1.4%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 38,931 first dose (33.7%); 1,070 second dose (0.9%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,504 first dose (45.6%); 757 second dose (1.5%)
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 (90.5%); second dose (88.1%); boosted (70.1%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.3%); boosted (70.6%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (68.6%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (69.2%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.7%); second dose (91.7%); boosted (69.4%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (74.8%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (69.9%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (74.6%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (72.8%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (70.1%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.5%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.9%); second dose (98%); boosted (81.2%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77.3%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.3%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (74.5%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose** (100%); second dose (98.9%); boosted (75.5%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.3%); boosted (76.8%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.4%); second dose (97.1%); boosted (75.2%)
*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
**Percentage is based on 2020 HSU data - a health-specific population denominator. As the population continues to change over time, coverage rates can exceed 100%.
Hospitalisations*
- Cases in hospital: total number 853: Northland: 19; North Shore: 172; Middlemore: 199; Auckland: 208; Waikato: 69; Bay of Plenty: 28; Lakes: 12; Tairāwhiti: 3, Hawke’s Bay: 23; Taranaki: 10; MidCentral: 18; Whanganui: 2; Hutt Valley: 19; Capital and Coast: 33; Wairarapa: 5; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 22; Southern: 8.
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 59
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 17
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (97 cases / 19%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (16 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (192 cases / 37%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (156 cases / 30%); unknown (54 cases / 10%)
*The figures show that just over 3% of people aged 12 and over in the Northern Region have had no doses of the vaccine, while of those aged 12 and over in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19 for whom we have vaccination status recorded, 19% have had no doses of the vaccine.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 19,888
- Number of new community cases: 18,699
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 540
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 18,159
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (670), Auckland (6,077), Waikato (1,700), Bay of Plenty (1,247), Lakes (496), Hawke’s Bay (730), MidCentral (667), Whanganui (162), Taranaki (462), Tairāwhiti (377), Wairarapa (169), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (937), Nelson Marlborough (424), Canterbury (2,028), South Canterbury (118), Southern (848), West Coast (32); Unknown (10)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 16
- Number of active community cases (total): 206,288 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 346,621
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): 4,431
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 11/03): 4,732
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 13.4 million
12:55pm - Today we are reporting 18,699 new community cases, 853 in hospital and seven deaths of people with COVID-19.
12:45pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates of the COVID-19 outbreak for Saturday.
We are currently awaiting the Ministry of Health's daily update and will bring that to you as soon as it arrives.
