Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 100 deaths reported this week - worst toll so far

More than 100 Covid-related deaths have been reported by health officials so far this week - the most in a week of the pandemic to date.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced 17 Covid-related deaths, taking the number of publicly reported fatalities to 355 and the seven-day rolling average to 17.

There can be a significant lag between a death occurring and the date the death is publicly reported, ranging from two days to several weeks.

Health officials say this can be because of people dying with, rather than of Covid-19, and the virus being discovered after they have died.

For example, the deaths that were reported yesterday included people who had died over the past seven days, and 15 people who had died in the past two days.

For the reporting week so far, which started on March 27, 102 deaths have been reported by the ministry at the 1pm Covid-19 press conferences and in statements.

A total of 88 deaths were publicly announced last week (March 20-26), and 61 the week before that (March 13-19).

Yesterday, there were 13, 475 community cases of Covid-19 reported by the Ministry of Health. There were 764 people in hospital, including 31 in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of Covid-19 cases continues to decline. Yesterday's average was 14,171 compared to 17,197 the previous Friday.

Modellers told the Herald they expected hospital and mortality rates to remain high over the medium term, even as case rates fell away.

Covid-19 Modelling Aotearoa's Dr Dion O'Neale previously told the Herald a "slow transition" from hospitalisations being driven by infections in younger Kiwis to older people was expected, and was in line with overseas experience.

"You've essentially got one trend that's going down slowly, while the fraction of cases that are in more at-risk individuals is still going up over time."

Fellow modeller Dr Emily Harvey said Covid-19 cases among young Kiwis peaked early in the wave, and their rates dropped faster.

"In older age groups – or those over 70 – rates are either flat or still on the way up," she said.

"And these are the age groups where we get a huge proportion of hospitalisations and deaths ... so case rates among these groups are the thing we need to be watching for."

Of yesterday's 17 reported deaths, two people were in their 50s, four in their 60s, five in their 70s, three in their 80s and three were over 90.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with their whānau and friends at this sad time," the ministry said.

On March 10, the Ministry of Health announced a new method for reporting the deaths of people who have Covid-19.

Deaths are automatically reported if the person dies with 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. The ministry said this was a method used in the UK and many other countries.

Deaths would be reported under three categories: People for who it was clear Covid-19 was the cause of death; people who were found to have had Covid-19 when they died but their cause of death was clearly not Covid-related; and people whose cause of death was under investigation.

The locations of community cases reported yesterday was: Northland (563), Auckland (2392), Waikato (1182), Bay of Plenty (688), Lakes (355), Hawke's Bay (712), MidCentral (774), Whanganui (332), Taranaki (526), Tairāwhiti (172), Wairarapa (155), Capital and Coast (876), Hutt Valley (483), Nelson Marlborough (578), Canterbury (2,122), South Canterbury (267), Southern (1243) and the West Coast (56).

The location of five of the cases is unknown.

The average age of the 764 people in hospital yesterday with Covid-19 was 58.

To date, 96.4 per cent of people eligible have had their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, 95.1 per cent have had two doses and 72.7 per cent have been boosted.

Of eligible Māori, aged 12 and older, 91.1 per cent have had their first dose, 88.1 per cent have had two doses and 57.7 per cent of those eligible have had a booster dose.

For Pacific peoples, these figures are 98.2 per cent, 96.4 per cent and 59.3 per cent, respectively.

Fifty-four per cent of children aged 5 to 11 have had one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 17 per cent have had their second dose.

For Māori children, aged 5 to 11, 34.9 per cent have had one dose and 7.8 per cent have had two.

For Pacific children, these figures are 47.1 per cent and 8.7 per cent, respectively.

A host of iwi-led Covid-19 vaccination events are taking place across the Bay of Plenty this weekend - including tamariki-focused events in Katikati, Tauranga, Te Puke, Kawerau, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne.

There will be events in Tauranga and Whakatāne tomorrow.

Parents and whānau can also get vaccinated alongside the children.

"There will be kai, stress-free spaces, and activities for everyone."

Meanwhile, a handful of anti-mandate protesters turned up at the Pukeahu National War Memorial in Wellington yesterday, ignoring the RSA's request that they stay away.

Police were also at the War Memorial and At one point it appeared a small group of protesters were arguing with officers.

Even though vaccine mandates will be dropped from April 4 from most career paths - except Corrections, aged care, health, and border services - protesters say they will continue their disruption until the legal framework that enables businesses to choose if they want to use them is scrapped.