They were among 77 deaths attributed to Covid-19 throughout the country between December 23 and January 11.
Waitemata had the highest number of deaths at 17, but Southern and Waikato were in joint second place, ahead of other districts with larger populations.
The weekly figures reported on January 15 also showed the recorded Covid-19 cases in the Southern district were on the rise, at 554 they were up 88 on the previous week.
As we have noted before, many have become blasé about the risk of contracting Covid-19 and may believe because they have had a mild illness and survived without issue that their experience is universal.
But that ignores the ongoing death rate from the disease and risk to the immunocompromised, the impact of long Covid, and the continuing stress on the health system.
We have yet to learn whether masks and rapid antigen tests (rats)will be provided free of charge after the end of February when existing funding comes to an end.
While the reporting of rat results to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has been lackadaisical for months, and therefore not a reliable way of estimating the prevalence of the disease, the tests are still valuable.
People with symptoms can use them at home, and if they test positive, can then avoid going to work or other places where they might infect others. They can also be used before visiting those who might be at increased risk of severe illness or, as University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker suggests, before big gatherings such as conferences, thereby hopefully avoiding super-spreader events.
If people had to pay for the tests, we doubt they would be as widely used which could contribute to more illness, deaths, loss of productivity, and pressure on the health system.
Whatever decisions are eventually made about the future funding of rats and masks and boosters, they must be accompanied by coherent and widely available information about what we are all expected to do to help keep Covid-19 in check.
And another thing ...
Dr Bagshaw, a genetic scientist, travelled to the Ukraine in 2022 and helped move hundreds of people to safety before his death a year ago.
The call for further investigation into his death has been strengthened by the finding by a British coroner Darren Salter last week that Christopher Parry, who was with Dr Bagshaw when he died, was unlawfully killed.
Initial official reports of the deaths said their vehicle had been hit by artillery fire, but postmortems showed they had suffered gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of the body.
The coroner said there was "some evidence" of the involvement of the Russian-state funded private military company, the Wagner Group, in the deaths.
Sky News reported Mr Salter emphasised it was not the purpose of the inquest to comment on the lawful killing, but he also said the circumstances pointed to a war crime.
He said he was liaising with other United Kingdom agencies working on war crimes with respect to Mr Parry and Dr Bagshaw.
Dr Bagshaw’s parents, Dame Sue and Prof Phil Bagshaw, want the UK and New Zealand to work together to organise an investigator to gather evidence on the deaths as a precursor to having the matter go before the International Criminal Court at the Hague.
Dame Sue told RNZ that at the time of the men’s disappearance the New Zealand government had abrogated its responsibility and said it would leave it up to the UK government to do something about it.
That attitude needs to change.
