There are 12 people in hospital in Northland today.
There are 12 people in hospital in Northland today.
The number of patients in Northland hospitals with Covid-19 has jumped to 12 today, after eight were reported yesterday, according to Northland DHB.
Northland DHB report there is one Covid positive patient in Whangārei Hospital ICU.
There were 765 new Covid-19 cases in Northland, 362 of which were in the Whangārei District, 338 in the Far North District and 65 in the Kaipara District, Northland District Health Board recorded.
There are now 7477 active Covid cases in Northland currently.
Northland DHB Surgical and Support Services general manager Mark McGinley said currently all of the Covid positive inpatients in Northland are at Whangārei Hospital.
"We have had patients admitted for other illnesses and have subsequently been diagnosed as being COVID positive."
"We are currently investigating the possibility of patient to patient transmission in this group of patients."
Those admitted to a ward in any Northland hospital are tested for Covid and all visitors to are screened, must scan or sign in, and wear a mask
The isolation period for Covid-19 cases and their household contacts will be reduced from 10 to seven days from 11.59 pm tonight.
The Ministry of Health reported 20,989 new community Covid-19 cases in New Zealand on Friday.
With seven new Covid related deaths, today marked the highest number of daily deaths the country has seen since the start of the pandemic. The total death count is now at 98.
The Ministry of Health noted that the rise in deaths is a "reminder that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus can still cause serious illness and/or death either directly or by its impact on other health conditions."
Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) chief clinical officer Dr Andrew Old said Omicron outbreaks have tended to have quite a long tail with the older, more vulnerable populations tending to be impacted towards the end of the outbreak.
