SUNGMI KIM/Stuff
There has been a recent downturn in numbers suggesting the second wave has peaked.
The Ministry of Health has reported 6910 new community cases of Covid-19 and 836 current hospitalisations, including 27 in intensive care or high dependency units.
A further 16 people with the virus have died. All these deaths occurred in the past three days.
The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers on Monday is 8498.
There has been a recent downturn in numbers suggesting the second wave has peaked.
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On Sunday the ministry reported 5535 new community cases of Covid-19 and a further 14 deaths of people with the virus.
There were 720 people in hospital with the virus, including 21 in intensive care or high dependency units.
Cases in hospital include: Northland: 21; Waitematā: 108; Counties Manukau: 77; Auckland: 98; Waikato: 86; Bay of Plenty: 44; Lakes: 11; Hawke’s Bay: 30; MidCentral: 46; Whanganui: 14; Taranaki: 17; Tairawhiti: 3; Wairarapa: 7; Capital & Coast/Hutt: 60; Nelson Marlborough: 18; Canterbury/West Coast: 148; South Canterbury: 7; Southern: 41.
Monday’s 16 deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 2006 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 24.
Of the people whose deaths were reported on Monday, one was from Auckland region, one from Waikato, two from Lakes, one from Tairawhiti, one from Hawke’s Bay, four from Taranaki, one from Whanganui, two from the Wellington region and three were from Southern.
Last week the ministry announced changes to how Covid-19 deaths are reported.
Instead of reporting all people who died within 28 days of a Covid-19 infection, those who died because of the virus, or for whom Covid-19 was a contributing factor in their death, will be reported formally.
While officials will continue to report additional deaths with Covid-19 in the daily updates, the focus on reporting total Covid-19 deaths will shift to cases where deaths can be wholly or partly “attributed” to the virus.
New Zealand has been in the midst of a second wave, fuelled by the more transmissible BA.5 subvariant.
Hospitals at the top and bottom of the country have been restricting visitors due to virus transmission, and there were a record number of people with Covid-19 in hospital in Canterbury, with 155 patients hospitalised on Thursday.
The Government recently announced new measures to expand access to free rapid antigen tests (RATs), masks and Covid-19 antivirals.