Covid-19 cases expected to decline in July

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Hauora Tairāwhiti chief executive Jim Green estimates 80 percent of people hospitalised in Gisborne with Covid-19 have been admitted for other reasons, and are then tested and found to be positive for Covid.

He was speaking at the monthly DHB meeting at a time when five people were in hospital with Covid-19.

Covid infection rates are expected to decline in the region, with projections for July showing “30-odd” new cases each day compared to the high 40s in late May.

“Long may it continue to decline,” Mr Green said.

Wastewater testing showed the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron were in Tairāwhiti.

Mr Green said there were likely to be more cases of Covid in the community, either from people who had not tested or from those who had but had not reported their positive test result.

Asked if testing rates were still high, Mr Green said they were not.

“We have saturated the market with rapid antigen tests. Most people have got them and can test when they want to, and we encourage people to test if they have cold or flu symptoms.”