The latest COVID-19 figures have been released at a 1pm press conference held by Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Dr Caroline McElnay.
It was Dr McElnay's last as she has resigned from her role as Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health and is leaving the post on Thursday afternoon.
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 11,634 new community COVID cases on Thursday.
- Thirteen additional deaths of people with COVID-19 were reported.
- Location of Thursday's community cases: Northland (549), Auckland (2,179), Waikato (1,030), Bay of Plenty (553), Lakes (266), Hawke’s Bay (480), MidCentral (630), Whanganui (296), Taranaki (402), Tairāwhiti (149), Wairarapa (98), Capital and Coast (782), Hutt Valley (394), Nelson Marlborough (441), Canterbury (1,913), South Canterbury (224), Southern (1,157), West Coast (89), Unknown (2)
- There are 639 people in hospitals on Thursday, including 29 in ICU.
- Locations of hospitalisations: Northland: 27; Waitemata: 99; Counties Manukau: 116; Auckland: 99; Waikato: 72; Bay of Plenty: 41; Lakes: 10; Tairāwhiti: 3; Hawke’s Bay: 19; Taranaki: 7; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 17; Wairarapa: 3; Hutt Valley: 12; Capital and Coast: 19; Nelson Marlborough: 14; Canterbury: 45; South Canterbury: 6; West Coast: 0; Southern: 22
These live updates have now finished.
1:50pm - Here's the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 situation report after Thursday's numbers:
1:40pm - A University of Auckland epidemiologist wants pharmacies to be doing RATs, to improve the accuracy of tests and better capture the results.
There are increasing reports of people having the virus, but recording negative RATs - sometimes multiple times.
Christchurch furniture restorer Lucy caught Covid at a wedding.
"It was the classic super-spreader and 70 of the 92 guests caught it.
"And so all my friends I guess we all heard on the Sunday someone had tested positive and we all started going down pretty much the same day.
"But all my friends had tested positive on the RATs at home and I hadn't."
1:30pm - There have been a number of highlights, she says. Seeing the Ministry of Health full of people from across the government sector building New Zealand's COVID response plan at the start of the pandemic was probably the shining highlight, she says.
She speaks about watching the Prime Minister make the announcement about the alert level framework in 2020 after helping provide advice on those public health measures. On one day she was providing the advice, and then on the next day it was being implemented, she says.
The death rates in New Zealand are very low, Dr McElnay says, and that speaks to the success of our COVID-19 response. She notes social media trolled her early in the pandemic, calling her Dr Death, as she was the official who ended up announcing the deaths in the first year.
1:25pm - She says she doesn't personally feel burnt out, but is tired. Feeling tired is a real feeling and she encourages Kiwis who are tired to speak to their families and employers.
There is a possibility of a post-pandemic mental health crisis, Dr McElnay says. Planning is underway on how to support people over the coming years, she says.
She wants to spend more time hiking and going for a very long time without her cellphone. Going overseas makes it harder for people to contact her, Dr McElnay jokes.
1:20pm - Dr McElnay says when she took on the role five years ago, she decided five years was a good period of time. She's been commuting from Hawke's Bay and says that has been "tough". It is the right time to step away now, she says.
"It's always been tough during lockdowns when I have been here in Wellington and not able to travel home," she says.
While she hasn't received a lot of vitriol, Dr McElnay says she did get comments about her hair. She doesn't focus on social media but instead on her job and the feedback from her team.
She will be spending some time in Ireland while overseas. She doesn't have a job lined up when she returns, but will be keeping her options open.
It's difficult to leave while the pandemic is ongoing, but Dr McElnay believes the ministry has achieved a lot over the last two years.
1:15pm - Dr McElnay says she is travelling overseas and it will be "some months" before she returns to New Zealand. It's been an "honour and a privilege" to serve as Director of Public Health during the pandemic, she says. She acknowledges her colleagues as well as New Zealanders for what they've done to get Aotearoa to its current position.
Dr Bloomfield says a "personal thank you" to Dr McElnay. While the COVID response has been bigger than one person, he says Dr McElnay has been "instrumental" and her work should be "celebrated".
She has a "calm, supportive and solution-focused approach".
"She has been a real rock for me and it is always a pleasure to be able to do these sessions together. It is a challenging role... you have embraced it with grace and energy."
1:10pm - Dr McElnay is reflecting on the last two years and what New Zealand has learnt. She says COVID has changed our landscape and continues to do so. While some public health measures are no longer necessary, wearing masks have become part of our daily lives and will continue to be for some time yet.
1:05pm - Three of the 13 deaths being reported on Thursday are people in their 30s:
"Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 13 people with COVID-19," says the Ministry of Health.
"The deaths being reported today include people who have died over the past 10 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 456 and the 7-day rolling average of reported deaths is 17.
"Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today, three people were from Northland, one from Auckland, two from Waikato, one from Bay of Plenty, one from Whanganui, two from West Coast, and three from Southern.
"Three were in their 30s, two in their 50s, two in their 60s, four in their 70s, one in their 80s, and one over 90.
"Seven were women and six were men.
"Out of respect, we will be making no further comment."
1pm - Dr Bloomfield says Thursday is World Health Day, the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.
He notes that Thursday is Dr McElnay's final day at the Ministry of Health, which he has "mixed feelings" about.
There are 11,634 new community cases, 639 hospitalisations (29 in ICU) and 13 further deaths.
"It's encouraging to see case numbers continuing to decline," the Ministry of Health says. "This supports the trend we are seeing across the seven-day rolling average. Today's seven-day average is 11,791, while last Thursday it was 14,515."
Vaccinations administered in New Zealand
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,025,768 first doses; 3,975,447 second doses; 34,479 third primary doses; 2,594,367 booster doses: 259,740 paediatric first doses and 94,647 paediatric second doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 87 first doses; 208 second doses; 15 third primary doses; 1,704 booster doses; 92 paediatric first doses and 1,270 paediatric second doses.
People vaccinated
- All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,055,536 first dose (96.4%); 4,004,656 second dose (95.1%), 2,591,983 boosted (72.7% of those eligible)
- Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,548 first dose (91.2%); 503,326 second dose (88.1%), 230,447 boosted (57.5% of those eligible)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,628 first dose (98.2%); 276,621 second dose (96.5%), 137,266 boosted (59.3% of those eligible)
- 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 257,560 first dose (54.1%); 92,530 second dose (19.4%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 40,494 first dose (35%); 10,419 second dose (9%)
- 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,332 first dose (47.2%); 4,992 second dose (10.1%)
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 (67.8%)
- Lakes DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (68.3%)
- MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.5%); 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 (72%)
- Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.6%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (70.1%)
- Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (94.9%); boosted (74.8%)
- 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 (76.9%)
- 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 (73.4%)
- Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.7%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (75.9%)
- South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (76.4%)
- Southern DHB: first dose (98.4%); second dose (97.3%); 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 639: Northland: 27; Waitemata: 99; Counties Manukau: 116; Auckland: 99; Waikato: 72; Bay of Plenty: 41; Lakes: 10; Tairāwhiti: 3; Hawke’s Bay: 19; Taranaki: 7; Whanganui: 8; MidCentral: 17; Wairarapa: 3; Hutt Valley: 12; Capital and Coast: 19; Nelson Marlborough: 14; Canterbury: 45; South Canterbury: 6; West Coast: 0; Southern: 22
- *Average age of current hospitalisations: 57
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 29
- Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (40 cases / 12.1%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (9 cases / 2.7%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (67 cases / 20.2%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (76 cases / 23%); unknown (139 cases / 42%).
*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: 11,791
- Seven day rolling average (as at same day last week): 14,515
- Number of new community cases: 11,634
- Number of new community cases (PCR): 262
- Number of new community cases (RAT): 11,372
- Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (549), Auckland (2,179), Waikato (1,030), Bay of Plenty (553), Lakes (266), Hawke’s Bay (480), MidCentral (630), Whanganui (296), Taranaki (402), Tairāwhiti (149), Wairarapa (98), Capital and Coast (782), Hutt Valley (394), Nelson Marlborough (441), Canterbury (1,913), South Canterbury (224), Southern (1,157), West Coast (89), Unknown (2)
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 51
- Number of active community cases (total): 82,513 (cases identified in the past 7 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 740,430
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): 2,719
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 23,926
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 3,872
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 6 April 2022): 2 million
12:55pm - Acknowledging Dr McElnay's last day, deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has thanked her on Instagram for her "extraordinary dedication".
"New Zealand's public health response to COVID has been second to none. Dr McElnay and her team have been integral to the development of alert levels, frameworks, contact tracing systems, modelling, risk assessments and more.
"At every turn their advice has been professional, robust and practical. On a personal note I thoroughly enjoyed our time as the Friday Crew for the 1pm media conferences.
"Thank you Caroline for your exceptional leadership and service. You deserve a breather, and I look forward to seeing what comes next after that. Go well!"
12:50pm - We've added the livestream to the video above. It's expected to begin at about 1pm.
12:45pm - Here's what the COVID-19 situation looks like before Thursday's numbers are included:
12:35pm - After an exhausting two years leading New Zealand's COVID-19 response, Dr Ashley Bloomfield decided "he just didn't have enough" left to lead the Ministry of Health for long beyond major reforms this year, the Health Minister says.
Health Minister Andrew Little told AM on Thursday he was aware Dr Bloomfield had been thinking about his future and received a phone call from him over the weekend confirming he would be leaving.
"He just said to me, look, he's had four years on the job, he's had two years leading the response to the pandemic. He's just exhausted and that's not a surprise because I've seen that in him. I've worked more closely with him in the last year or so myself," Little said.
"He's done a fantastic job in that respect. It doesn't surprise me that it's feeling that way. Then, knowing with the reforms, there'd be a change process within the ministry, and I think he just decided he didn't want to be doing that."
12:30pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates for Thursday.
We are standing by for the latest COVID-19 data, which will be released at the 1pm press conference held by outgoing health officials Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Dr Caroline McElnay.
A livestream that media event will be available above shortly.
