August 25 2021
There are 62 new Covid-19 cases in the community today. Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the total number of cases in the outbreak has now hit 210. There are 12 people in hospital with Covid-19.
Living in alert level 4 lockdown comes with a unique set of rules, some of which are not always clear. In our new daily feature we answer questions from readers about anything Covid-related. Email covidquestions@nzherald.co.nz
I think many people would appreciate knowing how many of those who have become ill with the Delta virus have been vaccinated. Nelson E
The question has been asked at many of the daily press conferences and in most cases neither the minister nor health official speaking that day have been able to provide an answer.
However, on Monday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told media she had done a "rough count" that morning and "off the top of my head" she said the number of people who had received at least one dose was "somewhere in the order of 11 or so".
A further 32 cases were aged between 10 and 19 and another 14 were aged under 9.
That means 63 per cent of the current cases are not yet eligible to book a vaccine or are too young to get one at all unless they are a border, frontline or healthcare worker or in a higher-risk group.
From August 20, parents were also able to book in children 12 and over at the same time as they booked theirs.
Of the 148, another 10 were in their 30s so became eligible for a vaccination from today and 13 were in their 40s and became eligible the day after lockdown began.
Of the remainder, 19 were aged in their 50s, nine were in their 60s, three were in their 70s, and one was in their 80s - only 22 per cent of the Covid cases so far.
Ardern also said she would be interested to see if being vaccinated ended the chain of transmission.
"You'll recall that for our fully vaccinated person who was the wife of our original case: negative tests, and that demonstrates that vaccine does, in some, have the ability to stop a possible chain of transmission."
"What we do know for sure is that both the Auckland Hospital nurse and the Middlemore emergency department staff member who tested positive were fully vaccinated."
I am stranded on the Sunshine Coast hopeful to return to New Zealand one day soon possibly using home isolation. What is the New Zealand Government's stance on recognition of a double shot of the AstraZeneca vaccination? Anthony R
Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed in the past those who had two injections of AstraZeneca would qualify as fully vaccinated in New Zealand.
Australia is using a mixture of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to immunise its population so it makes sense to acknowledge it as a certifiable vaccine in New Zealand also.
Late last month, Medsafe approved the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for use in New Zealand in people 18 and over.
New Zealand has bought 7.6 million doses but the Government planned to donate many to the Pacific Islands, particularly Fiji.
Ayesha Verrall, one of the health ministers, said the plan remained to use the Pfizer vaccine to immunise New Zealand's population.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said work on a system of vaccine recognition was part of the Covid road map the Government laid out this month. That would lay out what vaccines would be approved and what paperwork was required to prove it.
The Janssen vaccine is also likely to be recognised in New Zealand given Medsafe have already approved its use.
Medsafe is still looking at whether to approve the Novavax vaccine, which New Zealand also has a purchase agreement for. If it is approved, that too is likely to be deemed an acceptable vaccine for those wanting to gain entry into New Zealand when the borders reopen.
How many of the Covid Delta positive cases are getting ill enough to require hospitalisation? Peter F
As at 9am on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health website listed nine Covid positive patients in hospital.
Yesterday, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said 12 people were in hospital with Covid-19.
Eleven were from the community outbreak and none needed to be treated in an intensive care unit.
Did the Kiwi returnee that is apparently the source case of the Covid-19 Delta outbreak present a negative test to customs on arriving back into NZ? If so, was it confirmed the test result presented was authentic? Ben D
The traveller from New South Wales who is believed to be the index case in the outbreak returned on a red flight after the suspension of the travel bubble with Australia.
Kiwis returning home from NSW on those flights were not required to undertake a pre-departure test because they were going straight into MIQ and would be tested shortly after arrival.
They did, however, have to complete a health declaration at the airport before they left confirming they did not have any Covid symptoms, had not been at a location of interest in the past 14 days and were not under orders from health officials to isolate or get tested.
