The Ministry of Health has released the latest COVID-19, showing cases continuing the fall nationally, but also the death of someone under the age of 20.
What you need to know:
- Dr Ashley Bloomfield will leave the Director-General of Health role in July. Also leaving is Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay and Deputy-Director of Public Health Dr Niki Stefanogiannis.
- COVID vaccine passes and mandates for most workforces were ditched on Monday night.
- All of New Zealand remains in the red traffic light setting.
- New Zealand recorded 9,906 new community COVID cases on Friday.
- Ten additional deaths of people with COVID-19 were reported, including someone aged between 10 and 19.
- Location of Friday's community cases: Northland (492), Auckland (1,804), Waikato (833), Bay of Plenty (442), Lakes (217), Hawke’s Bay (434), MidCentral (531), Whanganui (257), Taranaki (317), Tairāwhiti (108), Wairarapa (91), Capital and Coast (670), Hutt Valley (331), Nelson Marlborough (374), Canterbury (1,628), South Canterbury (182), Southern (1,110), West Coast (82), Unknown (3)
- There are 626 people in hospitals on Friday, including 17 in ICU.
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 30; Waitemata: 96; Counties Manukau: 117; Auckland: 106; Waikato: 63; Bay of Plenty: 35; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 3; Hawke’s Bay: 14; Taranaki: 12; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 25; Wairarapa: 2; Hutt Valley: 9; Capital and Coast: 19; Nelson Marlborough: 9; Canterbury: 41; South Canterbury: 5; West Coast: 0; Southern: 23
Newshub's live updates are now finished.
1:30pm - Here's the full data:
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,025,842 first doses; 3,975,637 second doses; 34,528 third primary doses; 2,596,612 booster doses: 259,825 paediatric first doses and 95,879 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 83 first doses; 189 second doses; 24 third primary doses; 2,263 booster doses; 82 paediatric first doses and 1,222 paediatric second doses
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,055,658 first dose (96.4%); 4,004,877 second dose (95.1%), 2,594,192 boosted (72.7% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,593 first dose (91.2%); 503,395 second dose (88.2%), 230,749 boosted (57.4% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,652 first dose (98.2%); 276,644 second dose (96.5%), 137,406 boosted (59.2% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 257,617 first dose (54.1%); 93,735 second dose (19.7%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 40,516 first dose (35.1%); 10,578 second dose (9.2%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,333 first dose (47.2%); 5,063 second dose (10.2%)
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 (88%); boosted (69.5%)
- Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.2%); second dose (96.1%); boosted (71.3%)
- Waikato DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (68.4%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (67.7%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (68.3%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (74.1%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (90.9%); boosted (68.2%)
- Whanganui DHB: first dose (91.9%); second dose (90.4%); boosted (73.4%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: first dose (97.1%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (71.9%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.6%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (70%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (94.9%); boosted (74.7%)
- Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (81.1%)
- Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.6%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.8%)
- Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.3%)
- West Coast DHB: first dose (92.6%); second dose (91.2%); boosted (73.3%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.7%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (75.9%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.8%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (76.3%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.4%); 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 626: Northland: 30; Waitemata: 96; Counties Manukau: 117; Auckland: 106; Waikato: 63; Bay of Plenty: 35; Lakes: 9; Tairāwhiti: 3; Hawke’s Bay: 14; Taranaki: 12; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 25; Wairarapa: 2; Hutt Valley: 9; Capital and Coast: 19; Nelson Marlborough: 9; Canterbury: 41; South Canterbury: 5; West Coast: 0; Southern: 23
- *Average age of current hospitalisations: 57
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 17
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (38 cases / 11%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (9 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (61 cases / 18%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (72 cases / 21%); unknown (159 cases / 47%)
*Please note the average age of current hospitalisations is for the Northern Region admissions only at this stage. This data is recorded and extracted from the same source as the vaccination status of patients in Northern Region hospitals.
We are currently working on a data solution which would include the average age of current hospitalisations from additional DHBs.
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 11,281
- Seven day rolling average (as at same day last week): 14,171
- Number of new community cases: 9,906
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 234
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 9,672
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (492), Auckland (1,804), Waikato (833), Bay of Plenty (442), Lakes (217), Hawke’s Bay (434), MidCentral (531), Whanganui (257), Taranaki (317), Tairāwhiti (108), Wairarapa (91), Capital and Coast (670), Hutt Valley (331), Nelson Marlborough (374), Canterbury (1,628), South Canterbury (182), Southern (1,110), West Coast (82), Unknown (3)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 69
- Number of active community cases (total): 78,942 (cases identified in the past 7 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 750,385
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): 2,915
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 21,057
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 3,799
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 7 April 2022): 3.6 million
1:25pm - One of the 10 people who died with COVID-19 was aged between 10 and 19, according to the Ministry of Health.
"Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 10 people with COVID-19. The deaths being reported today include people who have died over the past 15 days. Delays to reporting can be associated with people dying with COVID-19, rather than from COVID-19, and COVID being discovered only after they have died.
"These deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with COVID-19 to 466 and the seven day rolling average of reported deaths is 16.
"Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today, two people were from the Auckland region, one from Waikato, two from the Lakes DHB area, three from the Wellington region and two from Canterbury.
"One was aged between 10 and 19, two in their 40s, three in their 70s, three in their 80s, and one over 90.
"Five were female and five were male.
"This is a very sad time for whanau and friends and our thoughts and condolences are with them.
"Out of respect, we will be making no further comment."
1:20pm - There are 9906 new community cases, 626 people in hospital (17 in ICU) and 10 further deaths to report.
"Case numbers are continuing to decline, along with the seven-day rolling average. Today's seven-day average is 11,281, while last Friday it was 14,171," the Ministry of Health says.
"Vaccination remains our best defence against COVID-19 and getting boosted is an important way people can protect themselves, their whanau and their friends from the virus.
"Despite the decline in case numbers, please continue to follow public health advice to stay at home; away from school or work if you’re feeling unwell. Another way to protect you and your whanau is to get vaccinated if you haven’t already done so.
"Please if you are due for a vaccination, whether it be a second dose or booster, make an appointment today."
1:10pm - Pharmacists are putting their hands up to do more to help people get their rapid antigen tests (RATs) done properly and with more reliable results.
Some health experts are worried doing the Covid-19 tests at home is not good enough and pharmacists agree saying there was no doubt they could improve accuracy.
Epidemiologist Rod Jackson reckons RATs done at home miss up to 50 percent of positive cases, but skilled testers like pharmacists could get that down to just 20 percent.
12:55pm - This is the latest vaccine breakdown. It shows that 87 people received their first dose on Wednesday:
12:45pm - More than 11,000 new cases were reported on Thursday. Here is how the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 situation report looks like after those figures are included:
12:40pm - A month after the peak of Auckland's Omicron outbreak, senior doctors say adrenalin is giving way to trepidation as they call for an urgent return to business as usual.
The region has been at the front of the country's Covid-19 wave, with cases coming to a head in early March and hospitalisations about a week later.
At least one of the city's three district health boards is still delaying hundreds of planned operations.
12:30pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates of the COVID-19 situation for Friday.
We are expecting the latest data at about 1pm. There is no press conference planned for Friday afternoon.
