There were 21,015 cases reported on Thursday and 845 hospitalisations.
Earlier on Thursday, Dr Bloomfield said of the 742 COVID-related hospitalisations, it's possible only about 556 - or 75 percent - are actually seeking treatment for the virus, based on previous trends.
What you need to know:
- There were 21,015 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Thursday.
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (689), Auckland (7,234), Waikato (2,016), Bay of Plenty (1,392), Lakes (632), Hawke’s Bay (700), MidCentral (653), Whanganui (156), Taranaki (524), Tairāwhiti (353), Wairarapa (170), Capital and Coast (1,858), Hutt Valley (1,103), Nelson Marlborough (449), Canterbury (2,021), South Canterbury (109), Southern (918), West Coast (26); Unknown (12)
- There are 845 people in hospital, including 16 in ICU or HDU
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 78; Auckland 159; Waitematā 154; Counties Manukau 196; Waikato: 71; BOP: 23; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 4, Hawke’s Bay: 21; Taranaki: 10; MidCentral: 17; Whanganui: 3; Hutt Valley: 17; Capital and Coast: 46; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 18; Timaru: 2; Southern: 13
- 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
- The Ministry of Health will now provide a breakdown of the deaths of people with COVID-19 - the number who clearly died from COVID-19, those where COVID-19 was not a cause of death, and those which are still under investigation.
These live updates have now ended.
1:30pm - The ministry has provided this information about changes to how COVID-19 deaths are reported:
Changes to reporting COVID-19 deaths
From today, the Ministry is moving to a new approach to reporting deaths of people who have COVID-19.
We will automatically report all deaths of people who die within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19. This is the approach used by the UK and many other countries. As of today, this number is 81.
We will also be providing the following additional details that will include some deaths reported outside of the 28 day window:
- People for whom it is clear that COVID-19 is the cause of death. As of today, this number is 34.
- People who had (or were subsequently found to have) COVID-19 when they died but their cause of death was clearly not COVID-19 related. As of today, this number is 2.
- People whose cause of death is still under investigation e.g. it is being considered by the Coroner, but we know they had COVID-19 when they died. As of today, this number is 48.
Over time, as more information is provided about some of the reported deaths, our website data will be updated to reflect that.
Whenever new deaths are publicly reported, the Ministry will include a new total of deaths in its 1pm statements.
As part of our new process, we are today reconciling the figures we have previously reported publicly – a total of 83 deaths - with the deaths of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID and who are in the national databases.
As result, we are confirming nine additional deaths, all of whom died within 28 days of having COVID-19. With one death announced in Bay of Plenty yesterday subsequently being found not to be COVID-19 related, the total number of deaths publicly reported to date is 91.
Of the nine deaths which are being reported today, one died yesterday in North Shore Hospital. The remaining eight all died in the past fortnight: four in late February and four in March. seven of the deaths were in Auckland and one in Waikato. One was in their sixties; three in their seventies; two in their eighties; one in their nineties and one over 100 years of age.
We offer our sincere condolences to their families and whānau.
1:25pm - Here's the full data from the Ministry of Health:
COVID-19 vaccine update
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,022,125 first doses; 3,966,593 second doses; 34,154 third primary doses; 2,488,753 booster doses: 251,583 paediatric first doses and 6,041 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 282 first doses; 822 second doses; 42 third primary doses; 8,970 booster doses; 625 paediatric first doses and 295 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,067,584 first dose (96.6%); 4,009,395 second dose (95.3%), 2,490,396 boosted (72.6% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,560 first dose (91.2%); 501,286 second dose (87.8%), 217,026 boosted (59.8% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,445 first dose (98.2%); 275,731 second dose (96.2%), 129,657 boosted (59.5% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 251,395 first dose (52.8%); 5,940 second dose (1.2%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 38,587 first dose (33.4%); 987 second dose (0.9%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,393 first dose (45.3%); 703 second dose (1.4%)
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 (70.3%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.4%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.7%); boosted (68.5%)
- 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 (69.5%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (74.9%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91%); boosted (70%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (74.5%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (72.8%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (69.9%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.6%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.8%); second dose (98%); boosted (81.1%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77.2%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.2%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (93.1%); second dose (91.3%); boosted (74.5%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.9%); second dose (98.9%); boosted (75.2%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.3%); boosted (76.7%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.3%); 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 845: Northland: 78; Auckland 159; Waitematā 154; Counties Manukau 196; Waikato: 71; BOP: 23; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 4, Hawke’s Bay: 21; Taranaki: 10; MidCentral: 17; Whanganui: 3; Hutt Valley: 17; Capital and Coast: 46; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 18; Timaru: 2; Southern: 13.
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 54
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 16
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (109 cases / 19.89%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (16 cases / 2.92%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (230 cases / 41.97%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (175 cases / 31.93%); unknown (18 cases / 3.28%)
*While still early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, just over 3% of eligible people aged 12 and over in the Northern Region have had no doses of the vaccine, however, of those aged 12 and over in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19 for whom we have vaccination status recorded, 17% have had no doses of the vaccine.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 19,741
- Number of new community cases: 21,015
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 660
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 20,355
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (689), Auckland (7,234), Waikato (2,016), Bay of Plenty (1,392), Lakes (632), Hawke’s Bay (700), MidCentral (653), Whanganui (156), Taranaki (524), Tairāwhiti (353), Wairarapa (170), Capital and Coast (1,858), Hutt Valley (1,103), Nelson Marlborough (449), Canterbury (2,021), South Canterbury (109), Southern (918), West Coast (26); Unknown (12)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 15
- Number of active community cases (total): 208,625 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 306,919
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): 4,817
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 03/03): 8,240
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 14.3 million
1:20pm - While it's too early to know if Omicron will lead to many long Covid cases limited support is available for those who develop the debilitating condition, experts says.
Dr Stephen Ritchie, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Auckland, said he expected that because the majority of people affected by the Omicron variant have mild disease the risk of long Covid could be lower.
"The exceptionally high vaccination rate in New Zealand provides protection against severe disease and also against long Covid. However, because so many New Zealanders have and will become unwell with Omicron, a large number of people will still develop long Covid symptoms."
1:15pm - Dr Bloomfield says the ministry will always report people who die within 28 days of testing for COVID-19, an approach used in the Uk and other countries. This is used for official reporting.
From Thursday, the ministry will place the deaths into three categories. Dr Bloomfield also provided how many of New Zealand's deaths so far fall into each category.
- Those who clearly died from COVID-19 (34)
- People who had or were subsequently found to have COVID-19 but the cause of death is clearly not COVID-19 (2)
- Those whose cause of death is under investigation (48)
An additional nine deaths of people with COVID-19 over the last two weeks are being reported. These may not have been notified through a Public Health Unit.
The total number of COVID-19-related deaths is 91.
1:10pm - Dr Samantha Murton, the President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is speaking about the immense pressure on GPs at the moment with such high numbers. She speaks about the need for people to be kind when speaking to GP office staff and to ring Healthline if they need assistance as GPs don't have the capability to take everyone's calls.
1:05pm - Dr Bloomfield tells reporters there are 21,015 new community cases and there are 845 people in hospital. Sixteen are in ICU or HDU, he says.
Since February 23, about 87 percent of reported cases were diagnosed through RATs. Four percent were RATs with a confirmation PCR test and the rest were PCR tests. The vast majority of recent results are RATs, Dr Bloomfield says.
Dr Bloomfield says 21 percent of people hospitalised with COVID-19 and who had their samples genome sequenced since the start of the year had the Delta variant and the rest have been Omicron. None in the last four weeks had Delta. That shows how Omicron is now dominating community transmission.
1pm - Here is a snapshot of the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand prior to Thursday's update:
12:55pm - We've added the livestream to the video above. If you can't see it, refresh your page.
12:40pm - Of the official 742 COVID-related hospitalisations, it's possible that only about 556 - or 75 percent - are actually seeking treatment for the virus, based on previous trends.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Parliament's Health Select Committee on Thursday that in the first weeks of the Omicron outbreak in Auckland, about 75 percent were there because of COVID-related symptoms.
"We would expect that proportion to get lower with more virus in the community," Dr Bloomfield said. "For example, 40 percent of people turning up at Middlemore's emergency department at the moment are testing positive for COVID seeking care for other reasons."
12:30pm - Kia ora, good afternoon, and welcome to Newshub's COVID-19 live updates for Thursday.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield will be providing an update at 1pm from the Ministry of Health and we will livestream that for you then. You'll be able to watch in the video component above.
