Four more Covid-19 related deaths and 2379 new community cases have been reported in Canterbury today.
There are 15,250 new community cases across New Zealand, including 305 in South Canterbury.
There have also been 22 deaths related to the virus, four of whom were people from Canterbury.
The total number of publicly reported deaths of people with Covid-19 now stands at 338. The seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 17.
One previously reported death has been removed from the total as it was reported twice, the Ministry of Health said.
Of today's reported deaths, one was a person from Northland, 10 were from the Auckland region, one was from Waikato, two from Bay of Plenty, two from the Lakes DHB, two from the Wellington region, and four from Canterbury.
Two of the people were in their 50s, four were in their 60s, three were in their 70s, six were in their 80s and seven were aged over 90. Fifteen were female and seven were male.
There are 830 people with Covid-19 in hospitals across the country today, including 29 cases in intensive care. There are 54 patients with the virus in Canterbury DHB hospitals and seven in South Canterbury hospitals.
The average age of people in hospital is 56.
The other cases in hospital are spread across Northland: 38; North Shore: 128; Middlemore: 163; Auckland: 142; Waikato: 89; Bay of Plenty: 23; Lakes: 17; Tairāwhiti: 3, Hawke’s Bay: 31; Taranaki: 19; Whanganui: 6; MidCentral: 23; Hutt Valley: 19; Capital and Coast: 22; Wairarapa: 2; Nelson Marlborough: 15; West Coast: 1; and Southern: 28.
Of the patients in hospital in the Northern region, 13.8 per cent are not eligible or unvaccinated, 3.1 per cent are partially vaccinated, 24.6 per cent are double vaccinated and 32.4 per cent are boosted. The vaccination status of 26 per cent of patients is unknown.
There were 39 new cases identified at the border today.
The ministry said the number of active community cases in New Zealand now stands at 101,594.
Today's new cases were spread across Northland (662), Auckland (2,708), Waikato (1,352), Bay of Plenty (825), Lakes (348), Hawke’s Bay (917), MidCentral (812), Whanganui (360), Taranaki (608), Tairāwhiti (201), Wairarapa (146), Capital and Coast (1,009), Hutt Valley (587), Nelson Marlborough (729), Canterbury (2,379), South Canterbury (305), Southern (1,212), West Coast (77); and Unknown (13).
The total number of confirmed cases in the outbreak is 657,723,
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield Bloomfield hosted today's media briefing on the response to the Omicron outbreak. He was joined via Zoom by Professor Peter McIntyre of the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University of Otago.
Bloomfield said the lower hospitalisation rates in some regions were "puzzling".
Everyone had put a huge effort to ensure the care in the community programme meant people could isolate at home safely and be prevented from going to hospital, he said.
Bloomfield said health officials expected a residual baseline of around 3000-5000 cases per day as we come out of the peak.
But he was encouraged to see case numbers declining. Today's seven-day average was more than 2000 cases lower than last week's.
Double-vaccination reduces children's hospital admissions
Prof McIntyre said a study in the US that looked at 10,000 kids at emergency departments showed that two doses of the vaccine cut back emergency department admissions.
McIntyre said while complications from Omicron were uncommon for children, it did look like "an insurance policy worth taking up" given the impacts of the virus on other people around children, the prevention of severe disease for the child and the fact the vaccine was free.
Bloomfield said surveys of parents via text had been done in New Zealand since January, similar to what had been done in Australia.
On vaccinations post Covid-infection, Bloomfield said a wait for three months was recommended for all ages and for all Covid-19 vaccines in New Zealand.
This wait would allow for a better immune protection from the vaccine, Bloomfield said.
With winter coming, flu vaccine would be available tomorrow, he said.
Many people would be able to access free flu vaccines through workplaces, he said.
Even if you have had a Covid-19 vaccine, a person still needed the flu vaccine for winter, he said.
Meanwhile, Bloomfield said the first oral antiviral Paxlovid has arrived in the country and will be ready to be prescribed in primary care next week.
Alert level decision
On Monday, Cabinet will be deciding whether to shift the country - or select regions - from red to orange settings, which will increase the number of people who can gather indoors.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said yesterday he was yet to have "a firm leaning" for Monday's review of traffic light settings.
"We'll be following closely the public health advice we get over the weekend."
The main difference between red and orange was the size of indoor gatherings, he said. There is no limit under orange.
"The main thing we're all looking for is where we're at in terms of the overall peak."
In some parts of the country, case numbers were continuing to trend up, he said.
He wouldn't be drawn on Auckland's chances of moving to orange, having already passed its Omicron peak.
But he did confirm the traffic light system allowed for the possibility of different regions to be in different settings.
Meanwhile, this morning the Government announced new antiviral medications would soon be available for at-risk patients.
Doctors can start prescribing Paxlovid from next week, but the criteria for the pill is aimed at those more likely to get sicker from Covid such as those who are immunocompromised or had things like chronic respiratory conditions and diabetes.
- NZ Herald/ODT Online
