There are 5662 new community Covid cases in New Zealand today, a significant drop from yesterday. Nine more people have died with the disease.
Yesterday there were 7930 new community cases.
There are 490 people in hospital with Covid today, down slightly on 494 yesterday. Twenty of these are in ICU.
The Southern DHB area has recorded a big drop in new cases, down to 666 after 929 were reported yesterday. There are 25 people in hospital with the virus in the South.
The deaths reported today include people who have died over the past nine days, the Ministry of Health said. They take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 674 and the 7-day rolling average of reported deaths is 13.
One of the deaths reported today was from the Auckland region, one was from Waikato, two were from Bay of Plenty, one was from Lakes, was one from Nelson-Marlborough and three were from Canterbury.
One person was in their 50s; one in their 60s; one in their 70s; one in their 80s and five people were over 90.
Four were male and five were female.
Despite the drop in numbers today, the seven-day rolling average is up from a week ago to 8435, from 8170 last Sunday.
Cases in hospital: Northland: 37; Waitemata: 76; Counties Manukau: 70; Auckland: 83; Waikato: 41; Bay of Plenty: 20; Lakes: 6; Tairāwhiti: 2, Hawke’s Bay: 8; Taranaki: 11; Whanganui: 4; MidCentral: 5; Wairarapa: 3; Hutt Valley: 15; Capital and Coast: 12; Nelson Marlborough: 6; Canterbury: 58; South Canterbury: 7; West Coast: 1; Southern: 25.
The average age of current hospitalisations is 60.
Location of new community cases: Northland (203), Auckland (1,455), Waikato (365), Bay of Plenty (223), Lakes (85), Hawke’s Bay (187), MidCentral (196), Whanganui (68), Taranaki (152), Tairāwhiti (50), Wairarapa (53), Capital and Coast (355), Hutt Valley (191), Nelson Marlborough (224), Canterbury (978), South Canterbury (128), Southern (666), West Coast (81), Unknown (2)
