There are 6223 new cases of COVID-19 and another 22 deaths of people with the virus, the health ministry reports.
There are 733 people in hospital with the virus, 16 of whom are in intensive care or high dependency wards.
The seven-day moving average number of cases is 9,803, up from 9,000 last Sunday.
Of the newly reported deaths of people with Covid-19, two were in their 40s, one in their fifties, one in their sixties, five in their seventies, eight in their eighties and five over the age of 90.
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SUNGMI KIM/Things
On Saturday, 9,241 new cases of Covid-19 were reported.
There have now been 1,827 reported deaths of people with the virus in New Zealand. The seven-day moving average of deaths from the virus is 22.
In the 1:00 p.m. updates, the Ministry of Health releases a total number of people who have died “with Covid” in a certain period of time. That doesn’t necessarily mean the virus killed those people, it just means they tested positive within 28 days of their death or immediately after.
The ministry will later provide more information about the cause of these deaths on his website. You can read how this works here here.
from Monday, more people gain access to three antiviral treatments for Covid-19. This includes Paxlovíd✓, Lagevrio✓ and Veklury✓, which are used in the early stages of Covid-19 to reduce the risk of serious illness.
People at risk of acute respiratory illness can get the medication from their GP to keep on hand so they can start taking it quickly if they do get Covid-19.
It is hoped that increased access to drugs will ease the pressure health systemwhich is currently dealing with a influx of winter diseases.
The number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations highlighted the importance of taking basic measures to prevent infection and serious illness, the ministry said.
“Wearing a mask remains one of the best measures to reduce the transmission of infectious respiratory diseases, including Covid-19.”
“As a general rule, the ministry is urging people to wear masks in outdoor public indoor settings and in poorly ventilated areas, or when it is difficult to physically distance themselves from other people.”
People should also stay at home if they are not feeling well, do a quick antigen test (RAT) and upload the results to My Covid record.