There are 22,454 new COVID cases with 742 people in hospital and 19 in ICU on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health has reported.
The ministry also said four people who had COVID-19 have died.
"Sadly, we are today reporting the deaths of four people with COVID-19. Of these people, two deaths occurred in Lakes, one in Tairāwhiti, and one in Counties Manukau," the ministry said.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the isolation period for anyone that tests positive for COVID and household contacts will reduce from 10 to seven days.
What you need to know:
- There were 22,454 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Wednesday.
- Location of new cases: Northland (716), Auckland (8,529), Waikato (2,109), Bay of Plenty (1,427), Lakes (633), Hawke’s Bay (707), MidCentral (655), Whanganui (202), Taranaki (536), Tairāwhiti (373), Wairarapa (166), Capital and Coast (1,879), Hutt Valley (1,062), Nelson Marlborough (452), Canterbury (2,024), South Canterbury (120), Southern (835), West Coast (20); Unknown (9)
- There are 742 people in hospital, including 19 in ICU or HDU
- Locations of hospitalisations: Auckland region: 507; Waikato: 67; BOP: 26; Rotorua: 7; Tairāwhiti: 3, Hawke’s Bay: 17; Taranaki: 5; MidCentral: 18; Whanganui: 2; Wairarapa: 8; Hutt Valley: 12; Capital and Coast: 38; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 18; Timaru: 2; Southern: 9.
- 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.
More RAT collection sites will be operating this week, including in Christchurch, Wellington and Palmerston North.
These live updates have finished.
1:40pm - Here's a statement from ACT leader David Seymour on the isolation period reduction:
"Reducing the isolation period by three days is weak response that comes far too late," says ACT Leader David Seymour.
"The Government should follow either the CDC's advice for Americans, being a five-day isolation period, or the Singaporean model, 72 hours isolation and out with a negative test.
"Once again the Government is entirely reactive. People who are no longer infectious have to keep isolating for no reason.
"The Government needs to apologise for a month of unworkable rules that saw the outbreak grow uncontrollably to a peak while businesses schools and hospitals were decimated.
"ACT has been calling for changes to the Government's unworkable isolation rules since January. As we predicted, we've seen QR code scanning plummet, testing rates low, and streets empty.
"Businesses are suffering a virtual lockdown, some shopkeepers are lucky to get a few customers a day because people are in fear. The Government is trying to change how the courts work because they can't get juries when people are too scared to come to a selection. The real answer is to get rid of unworkable isolation rules, and it's been the answer for two months now.
"More generally, the Government needs to take a leaf from ACT's book in its approach to setting COVID priorities. Going right back to our first COVID policy Paper in August 2020, A Wellbeing Approach to COVID, we've said the Government needs to balance all human needs, because COVID is important but it is not our only problem.
"The Government should be bold with the isolation rules. Seventy two hours and you're out with your first negative test. The Government should accompany this by immediately legalising all 27 Aussie Approved rapid Antigen Tests that are over 90 per cent accurate. Why wouldn't it?"
1:31pm - The press conference has finished.
1:30pm - Hipkins said if you test positive for COVID to do the seven days isolation because "it's not just about you, it's about the people around you".
1:28pm - Hipkins said if you are putting your positive test in the rubbish bin you're placing the health and wellbeing of their friends and community at risk.
1:27pm - Hipkins said the mandates and restrictions are only in place as long as they need to be. His message for protesters around the is that "It's time to go home."
1:26pm - Back to Hipkins, he said that the country will drop down the light framework dependent on hospitalisations, they are not always tied to case numbers because of different demographics where the virus of spreading.
Hipkins said they should be able to make more announcements around border re-opening dates towards the end of the month.
1:25pm - Here is the latest data from the Ministry of Health on the outbreak and vaccination campaign:
COVID-19 vaccine update
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,021,832 first doses; 3,965,736 second doses; 34,147 third primary doses; 2,479,546 booster doses: 250,933 paediatric first doses and 5,746 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 231 first doses; 987 second doses; 68 third primary doses; 9,226 booster doses; 628 paediatric first doses and 245 paediatric second doses.
- People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,067,123 first dose (96.6%); 4,008,592 second dose (95.2%), 2,481,185 boosted (72.5% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,382 first dose (91.1%); 500,973 second dose (87.7%), 215,652 boosted (59.9% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,376 first dose (98.1%); 275,617 second dose (96.1%), 129,130 boosted (59.5% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 250,762 first dose (52.6%); 5,658 second dose (1.2%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 38,362 first dose (33.2%); 936 second dose (0.8%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,355 first dose (45.3%); 689 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 (90.4%); second dose (88.1%); boosted (70.2%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.3%)
- 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 (91.6%); boosted (69.7%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (74.8%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91%); boosted (70%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (74.6%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (72.6%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (69.7%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.8%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.8%); second dose (98%); boosted (80.9%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77.1%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.3%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (93.1%); second dose (91.3%); boosted (74.7%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.9%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (75.1%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.3%); boosted (76.6%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.3%); second dose (97%); boosted (75%)
*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 742: **Auckland region: 507; Waikato: 67; BOP: 26; Rotorua: 7; Tairāwhiti: 3, Hawke’s Bay: 17; Taranaki: 5; MidCentral: 18; Whanganui: 2; Wairarapa: 8; Hutt Valley: 12; Capital and Coast: 38; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 18; Timaru: 2; Southern: 9.
- Average age of current hospitalisations: 57
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 19
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (93 cases / 17.31%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (15 cases / 2.79%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (209 cases / 38.92%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (132 cases / 24.58%); unknown (88 cases / 16.39%)
**Please note we are waiting on hospital data for Northland and Auckland DHBs.
*While still early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, just 3% of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand 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, 19% have had no doses of the vaccine.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 18,800
- Number of new community cases: 22,454
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 558
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 21,896
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (716), Auckland (8,529), Waikato (2,109), Bay of Plenty (1,427), Lakes (633), Hawke’s Bay (707), MidCentral (655), Whanganui (202), Taranaki (536), Tairāwhiti (373), Wairarapa (166), Capital and Coast (1,879), Hutt Valley (1,062), Nelson Marlborough (452), Canterbury (2,024), South Canterbury (120), Southern (835), West Coast (20); Unknown (9)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 12
- Number of active community cases (total): 202,141 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 285,906
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): 4,719
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 03/03): 10,460
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 12.2 million (note: due to a system issue, this number has not been updated since yesterday)
1:24pm - The Ministry of Health has released its statement with all the data on Thursday's COVID figures:
There are 8,529 new cases being reported in the Auckland Region today, representing 56 percent of the total new cases – down from 61 percent of total new cases a week ago. This number is still high and the outbreak is still very active in the Auckland region, but numbers have levelled off there in the last week. We will know in the next few days if this signals that the outbreak has peaked there.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 remains steady, with 19 people now in an intensive care unit (ICU) or high dependency unit (HDU). This represents 2.5 percent of current hospitalisations, around one fifth of the rate seen at the peak of the Delta outbreak when 13 percent of hospitalised people required ICU or HDU care.
Once again, most cases today are a result of people reporting positive rapid antigen tests (RATs). It is very important for people to record positive RAT results, either through ‘My Covid Record’ or by calling 0800 222 478. Thank you to all those who have tested and reported their results to date.
COVID-19 related deaths
Sadly, we are today reporting the deaths of four people with COVID-19. Of these people, two deaths occurred in Lakes, one in Tairāwhiti, and one in Counties Manukau.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the patients’ family and friends.
Out of respect, we will be making no further comment.
1:22pm - The Ministry of Health has announced there are 22,454 new COVID cases with 742 people in hospital and 19 in ICU.
The ministry also said there were four people that died with COVID-19.
1:21pm - We are still waiting on the Ministry of Health to provide the latest COVID numbers. We will bring that to you as soon as we have it.
1:20pm - Hipkins said the whole country is experiencing supply chain issues, which is one reason for distribution problems of RATs getting to GPs and remote places like the Chatham Islands.
1:19pm - Hipkins said to "watch this space" when asked about crowd gatherings. At the Women's Cricket World Cup they can have 20 percent crowd capacity but not at other events.
1:17pm - Hipkins said at this point the isolation period won't be brought down further from seven days as there isn't any evidence to support that.
1:15pm - Hipkins said hasn't received any advice on throat swabs rather than nasal swabbing.
1:14pm - Hipkins said he is not expecting any changes to the red light setting that the country is in over "the next couple of weeks".
1:13pm - Hipkins said the change to the isolation rules has been made because the latest advice has changed. "There is a balance here," he said between the country operating and the health trade-off.
1:11pm - Hipkins said a quarter of a million Novavax vaccine have arrived in the country and people can book them from My COVID record or over the phone from tomorrow.
Not all vaccinations sites will offer the vaccine.
1:09pm - Hipkins said overseas evidence showed the risk of getting COVID-19 again after testing positive the first time is very low within the first three months after you've had Omicron.
If someone else in your house has tested positive after you have been a case, you will not have to go through the isolation period. That period was 28 days but has been extended to 3 months.
1:06pm - Hipkins said the same rules for anyone that needs to stay in MIQ.
Household contacts will need to have a RAT test on day 3 and 7. If they become symptomatic they should also get a test. If they test positive, they need to isolate from the point they tested positive.
If a person is still showing symptoms after day 7, they should stay home until they stop showing symptoms for 24 hours.
1:04pm - Hipkins has announced the isolation period for anyone that tests positive for COVID and household contacts will reduce from 10 to seven days.
This will start at 11:59pm on Friday.
1:02pm - COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the COVID numbers will be released shortly but numbers remain high.
12:50pm - You should be able to watch the livestream above now. Refresh the page if you can't see it. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins will provide the update at 1pm.
12:40pm - As we wait for Wednesday's COVID data, here's a look at the overall situation after Monday.
12:30pm - In world COVID news, Vanuatu health authorities have confirmed their first case of community transmission of the virus.
There are a total of 58 COVID cases in the country and 10 of them are in the community.
Minister of Health, Bruno Leingkon said the community cases were discovered over the weekend after the member of parliament for Port Vila constituency, Anthony Yauko tested positive.
Read the full story here.
12:24pm - A COVID-positive 77-year-old man with pre-existing health conditions has died overnight, Tairawhiti District Health Board has announced.
Hauora Tairāwhiti chief executive Jim Green said the man died after being discharged from Gisborne Hospital on Tuesday.
Green said that the man was admitted to hospital by ambulance last Friday. His health improved and he was assessed as fit to return home.
"From all staff at Hauora Tairāwhiti, we send our thoughts and aroha to the family," he said.
"We ask the community respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time."
12:15pm - Kia ora, good afternoon, and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak for Thursday, March 9.
