The Ministry of Health says there are 17,148 new community cases.
The Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay revealed the latest case total at her press conference on Tuesday. She also said there were 842 people in hospital and had been an additional 34 deaths over the past 10 days.
What you need to know:
- There were 17,148 new community COVID cases recorded on Tuesday
- There have been 34 additional deaths of people with COVID-19 over the past 10 days
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (730), Auckland (2,899), Waikato (1,566), Bay of Plenty (967), Lakes (479), Hawke’s Bay (1,015), MidCentral (910), Whanganui (447), Taranaki (706), Tairāwhiti (250), Wairarapa (210), Capital and Coast (1,035), Hutt Valley (617), Nelson Marlborough (690), Canterbury (2,816), South Canterbury (318), Southern (1,404), West Coast (79); Unknown (10)
- There are 842 people in hospital, including 26 in ICU
- The average age of current hospitalisations: 58
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 26; North Shore: 143; Middlemore: 173; Auckland: 151; Waikato: 75; Bay of Plenty: 28; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 1, Hawke’s Bay: 41; Taranaki: 17; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 19; Hutt Valley: 16; Capital and Coast: 30; Wairarapa: 1; Nelson Marlborough: 11; Canterbury: 64; South Canterbury: 3; West Coast: 3; Southern: 23
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (80 cases / 18%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (14 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (122 cases / 27%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (168 cases / 37%); unknown (65 cases / 14%)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 44
These live updates have now finished:
1:30pm - Just over 1300 doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the first two weeks it has been available.
Novavax has been available since 14 March for those who cannot have the Pfizer jab or would prefer not to.
It uses a different technology to the Pfizer shot.
1:20pm - Here is more from the Ministry of Health on the deaths being reported:
"Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 34 people with COVID-19.
"These deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with COVID-19 to 303 and the 7-day rolling average of reported deaths to 15.
"The deaths being reported today include people who have died over the past 10 days but were only recently notified to the Ministry. Delays to reporting can be associated with people dying with, rather than of COVID-19, and COVID being discovered after they have died.
"Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today, 2 were from Northland, 17 from the Auckland region, 2 from Waikato, 1 from the Bay of Plenty, 1 from the Lakes DHB, 2 from Hawke’s Bay, 5 from the Wellington region, 3 from Canterbury, and 1 from Southern.
"One person was in their 30s, 1 person was in their 50s, 5 were in their 60s, 9 were in their 70s, 7 in their 80s and 11 were in their 90s.
"Seventeen were male and 17 were female.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with their whānau and friends at this sad time.
"Out of respect, we will be making no further comment. "
1:15pm - Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,025,473 first doses; 3,973,987 second doses; 34,240 third primary doses; 2,577,364 booster doses: 258,608 paediatric first doses and 74,744 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 72 first doses; 172 second doses; 18 third primary doses; 2,156 booster doses; 106 paediatric first doses and 2,929 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,055,064 first dose (96.3%); 4,002,382 second dose (95.1%), 2,575,853 boosted (72.7% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,268 first dose (91.1%); 502,638 second dose (88%), 228,308 boosted (57.9% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,531 first dose (98.2%); 276,373 second dose (96.4%), 136,072 boosted (59.4% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 256,876 first dose (53.9%); 73,090 second dose (15.3%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 40,245 first dose (34.8%); 8,098 second dose (7%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,231 first dose (47%); 3,878 second dose (7.9%)
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 (90.1%); second dose (87.9%); boosted (69.4%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.2%); second dose (96.1%); boosted (71.2%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (68.3%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (68.1%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (68.5%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (74.2%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (90.9%); boosted (68.6%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (91.9%); second dose (90.4%); boosted (73.5%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.1%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (72.1%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.6%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (70.1%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95%); boosted (74.8%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.6%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (81.1%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.6%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.9%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.6%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (92.6%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (73.3%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.7%); second dose (98.7%); boosted (75.9%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (76.4%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.2%); second dose (97.1%); boosted (74.9%)
*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
Percentages are 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 842: Northland: 26; North Shore: 143; Middlemore: 173; Auckland: 151; Waikato: 75; Bay of Plenty: 28; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 1, Hawke’s Bay: 41; Taranaki: 17; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 19; Hutt Valley: 16; Capital and Coast: 30; Wairarapa: 1; Nelson Marlborough: 11; Canterbury: 64; South Canterbury: 3; West Coast: 3; Southern: 23
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 58
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 26
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (80 cases / 18%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (14 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (122 cases / 27%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (168 cases / 37%); unknown (65 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 more than four times over-represented in our hospitalisation figures.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 15,565
- Seven day rolling average (as at Tuesday last week): 17,020
- Number of new community cases: 17,148
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 225
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 16,923
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (730), Auckland (2,899), Waikato (1,566), Bay of Plenty (967), Lakes (479), Hawke’s Bay (1,015), MidCentral (910), Whanganui (447), Taranaki (706), Tairāwhiti (250), Wairarapa (210), Capital and Coast (1,035), Hutt Valley (617), Nelson Marlborough (690), Canterbury (2,816), South Canterbury (318), Southern (1,404), West Coast (79); Unknown (10)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 44
- Number of active community cases (total): 108,942 (cases identified in the past 7 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 626,501
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): 2,208
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 34,977
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 2,697
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 29/03/22): 12.2 million
1:10pm - Dr McElnary is highlighting the new cases for Auckland Metro in graph-form. She says there is a distinctive peak and decline.
There is a less obvious decline in case numbers for the rest of New Zealand, excluding Auckland, she says.
Hospitalisations in the Northern Region are coming down, but outside of Auckland they have stayed "fairly static" over the last week. This should go down in the coming weeks, like case numbers.
1:05pm - The Director of Public Health says while case numbers in Auckland and overall are dropping, there are still spikes in some regions. This isn't unexpected, she says, and can be explained at different regions being at different stages of their outbreak.
For example, there were 1592 cases in Wellington on Monday compared to 2508 a week ago. Canterbury and south Canterbury combined have a higher case total than Auckland currently, showing that the peak is rolling down the country.
1pm - Dr McElnay says there are 17,148 new cases, 842 hospitalisations (26 of whom are in ICU) and 34 deaths. This takes the death toll to 303, Dr McElnay says.
The deaths of people with COVID-19, including Omicron, lags cases and hospitalisations, Dr McElnay tells reporters. These deaths have happened over the past 10 days, she says, and the delays may be because of people dying with, rather than of, COVID-19 and COVID being discovered after they died.
Some of these deaths wouldn't have been caused directly because of COVID-19, she says. Of the 34 deaths, 27 were over the age of 70.
The sustained drop in case numbers over the past week is encouraging, Dr McElnay says.
12:50pm - We have placed the livestream above. Refresh your page if you can't see it. The press conference will start at 1pm.
12:45pm - More than 200,000 children have been staying home from school every day this month during the Omicron surge.
Education Ministry figures show more than 100,000 were learning from home on some days this month, while many others were sick with COVID-19.
The figures were reported to the Education Ministry by about 2200 schools, or 88 percent of the total number of schools.
12:40pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates for Tuesday.
We are expecting the latest COVID-19 numbers shortly, while Dr McElnay will also host a press conference at 1pm. A livestream of that event will be in the video component at the top of the page soon.
