There are 21,616 new community cases and two more deaths, the Ministry of Health revealed on Tuesday.
There are also 960 people in hospital with 22 in the ICU. The two deaths were in Southern and Capital & Coast DHBs. Both people, one man and one woman, were aged over 70. The Ministry didn't clarify whether they died from COVID or with it.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield also revealed boosters are now required to be considered fully vaccinated.
"It's quite clear now, being up to date with Omicron means three doses.
"You need three doses to be protected against Omicron - that third dose could be lifesaving for you or a whanau member," Bloomfield said.
What you need to know:
- There were 21,616 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Tuesday.
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (708), Auckland (6,085), Waikato (2,062), Bay of Plenty (1,424), Lakes (633), Hawke’s Bay (1,111), MidCentral (888), Whanganui (276), Taranaki (510), Tairāwhiti (446), Wairarapa (229), Capital and Coast (1,584), Hutt Valley (987), Nelson Marlborough (524), Canterbury (2,642), South Canterbury (217), Southern (1,238), West Coast (43); Unknown (9)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 17
- There are 960 people in hospital, including 22 in ICU
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 58
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 23; North Shore: 187; Middlemore: 245; Auckland: 200; Waikato: 77; Bay of Plenty: 35; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 1, Hawke’s Bay: 23; Taranaki: 14; MidCentral: 20; Whanganui: 2; Hutt Valley: 22; Capital and Coast: 33; Wairarapa: 7; Nelson Marlborough: 12; Canterbury: 33; South Canterbury: 3; Southern: 14.
These updates have now finished.
2:07pm - Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere has apologised "profusely" for breaching COVID-19 rules by catching a flight days after her household member tested positive for the virus.
Read the full story here.
1:46pm - Bloomfield said all the vaccines in the country have a reasonably long time until they expire so there's currently no concern over wasting stocks.
1:38pm - Bloomfield said people who have caught COVID but aren't fully vaccinated should wait three months before getting their booster shot.
1:36pm - Bloomfield said just 16 percent of people admitted to Auckland hospitals over a two week period were fully boosted, showing three doses of the vaccine greatly reduces the risk of becoming seriously unwell or dying.
1:35pm - There are 425 ventilators in the country and just 68 are in use currently.
1:31pm - Bloomfield said less than 10 percent of the high dependency and ICU beds around the country are currently occupied by COVID patients.
1:25pm - Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 19,226
- Number of new community cases: 21,616
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 317
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 21,316
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (708), Auckland (6,085), Waikato (2,062), Bay of Plenty (1,424), Lakes (633), Hawke’s Bay (1,111), MidCentral (888), Whanganui (276), Taranaki (510), Tairāwhiti (446), Wairarapa (229), Capital and Coast (1,584), Hutt Valley (987), Nelson Marlborough (524), Canterbury (2,642), South Canterbury (217), Southern (1,238), West Coast (43); Unknown (9)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 17
- Number of active community cases (total): 193,108 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 398,329.
Tests
- Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 2,529
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests taken total (last 24 hours): 51,110
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days incl 14/03/22): 3,722
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 15/03/22): 12.3 million.
1:22pm - Hospitalisation details:
Cases in hospital: total number 960: Northland: 23; North Shore: 187; Middlemore: 245; Auckland: 200; Waikato: 77; Bay of Plenty: 35; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 1, Hawke’s Bay: 23; Taranaki: 14; MidCentral: 20; Whanganui: 2; Hutt Valley: 22; Capital and Coast: 33; Wairarapa: 7; Nelson Marlborough: 12; Canterbury: 33; South Canterbury: 3; Southern: 14.
Average age of current hospitalisations: 58
Cases in ICU or HDU: 22
Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (103 cases / 18%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (18 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (195 cases / 33%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (190 cases / 32%); unknown (79 cases / 14%)
*The figures show that just under 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, 14% have had no doses of the vaccine and are four times over-represented in our hospitalisation figures.
1:21pm - The Ministry of Health says two people have died with COVID. One in Southern DHB and one in Capital & Coast. Both people, one man and one woman, were aged over 70.
The Ministry didn't clarify whether the deaths were caused by COVID or not.
1:19pm - Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town said while most people recover from COVID fully, support is available for those suffering from Long COVID.
"The key thing to do is have a chat with your doctor or healthcare professional but we are also providing advice about Long COVID…practical tips on how to recover safely on the Ministry's website.
1:15pm - Bloomfield says fully vaccinated now means two doses and a booster.
"It's quite clear now, being up to date with Omicron means three doses.
"You need three doses to be protected against Omicron - that third dose could be lifesaving for you or a whanau member," Bloomfield said.
1:10pm - Bloomfield also provided clarity over how many people are in hospital because of COVID versus with the virus.
He said there are three groups of people in hospital with COVID - first people who are there because of COVID-related symptoms that can't be managed at home, the second is people with pre-existing conditions whose symptoms were exacerbated by COVID, the third is a group of people who were admitted for other reasons who happen to have COVID.
"We have got some data from hospitalisations at Waikato hospital between the 2nd and 11th of March that gives us some insight into how many people are in each category."
During that time period, Bloomfield said 19 percent of people were in hospital for COVID symptoms, 36 were admitted for other conditions, some may have been exacerbated by COVID, 23 percent were admitted for surgical reasons other than COVID, 7 percent for gynaecological reasons unrelated to COVID and 15 percent were children.
1:05pm - Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said of the 559 people in hospitals in the northern region, 40 percent (233) are aged 70 or over.
1:04pm - There are 21,616 new cases in the community and 960 people in hospital - 22 of which are in ICU.
12:38pm - An expert is urging Kiwis to get their booster saying it's necessary, not an optional extra.
Read more here.
12:31pm - Cabinet will this week consider "changes" to COVID-19 vaccine passes and mandates, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"Over the course of this week and next, Cabinet will be considering the changes we've been discussing on mandates, vaccine passes, and the COVID Protection Framework," Ardern said at her post-Cabinet press conference.
The Government has been under pressure to justify mandatory vaccination for sectors of the workforce now that more than 95 percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated with two doses.
Vaccination is mandatory for workers across health, education, Corrections, Fire and Emergency, the border and close contact businesses that operate vaccine certificates under the COVID Protection Framework, or traffic light system.
Vaccine mandates have been highly contentious, prompting a three-week protest at Parliament that ended in a violent standoff with police and more than 120 arrests.
Read the full story here.
12:20pm - Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town will provide an Omicron update from 1pm. You can watch the video above.
