Two more people have died from swine flu, bringing the total number of swine flu deaths in New Zealand to nine.
National swine-flu figures released by the Ministry of Health yesterday show there have been no swine flu-related deaths in Otago and Southland, and nobody in the southern region is in intensive care or hospital with the disease.
A 56-year-old man died in Wellington and a 79-year-old woman died in the Hutt Valley last week. Both had underlying medical conditions.
Nationwide, 23 people are in intensive care with swine flu or its complications, and another 90 people are reported to be in hospital.
Almost 2000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed, although health officials say the actual number is likely to be much higher as testing is no longer carried out routinely.
Health Minister Tony Ryall is warning that intensive care units will be full and some surgery will have to be cancelled at some public hospitals during the next few weeks.
Weekly consultation rates with family doctors were nearly three times higher than the winter peak experienced in the past two years, he said.
