Health leaders reveal next steps in Covid response as the country enters the “darkest part of winter”.
11,382 new Covid cases and 23 virus-related deaths were reported today.
Covid-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Health NZ’s new Chief Executive Margie Apa inform reporters.
Bloomfield said with more open borders and more cases being detected at our border, the number of cases has been increasing week by week.
This was the case even though test numbers had fallen, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. According to him, this was due to the new variants.
The BA.5 variant was better at evading immunity, Bloomfield said.
He said he expected only about half the number of actual cases to be discovered.
The seven-day moving average for community affairs is now 9826.
Free masks and rapid antigen testing are expected to be much easier to get, amid concerns that people simply don’t test and thus spread the virus.
Obviously, while there are no plans to change the existing Orange Level rules, the package will include a much wider availability of free rapid antigen tests and masks. Further steps in the field of vaccinations are also likely.
The move to increase the availability of free RATs is due to concerns about the number of missed Covid-19 cases – the results of wastewater tests have shown that there were many more cases than were reported.
Providing more free RATs is to try and get people tested and isolated so they don’t spread Covid-19 to others. Currently, free RATs are only available to those who have Covid-19 symptoms, are a household contact, have just arrived in the country or are a critical worker.
Free masks are also on the agenda as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged people to abide by the rules of the orange setting.
Despite the rise in cases and hospitalizations, Ardern has again ruled out a switch to red, saying the most effective steps are those already played in orange – a combination of mask use, isolation periods and vaccinations.