Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 11 Covid deaths and 6291 new cases

Covid tracer app scanning is a thing of the past, but the health advice is to still wear a mask in indoor settings with poor ventilation. File photo / Tania Whyte

There are 11 new Covid-related deaths and 6291 new community cases today, the Ministry of Health says.

There are also 369 people in hospital with the virus, including eight in intensive care.

The number of new cases in the community remains steady, with only a slight fall in the seven-day rolling average.

Today it is 6841. Last Saturday it  was 6924.

Of those tested in the last 24 hours, 4155 had PCR tests and 11,327 reported the results of rapid antigen tests.

Today's deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 in New Zealand to 1221, and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths to 12.

The deaths reported today comprised eight women and three men. Four were in their 70s, three were in their 80s and four were aged over 90.

Five were from Canterbury, two each were from Auckland and Waikato and one each came from the Nelson-Marlborough and Southern district health board areas.

Most new cases continue to be in our largest city, Auckland, which has 1864 new cases today.

New cases in other areas today are: Northland (178), Waikato (508), Bay of Plenty (193), Lakes (83), Hawke's Bay (195), MidCentral (214), Whanganui (89), Taranaki (167), Tairāwhiti (35), Wairarapa (45), Capital and Coast (540), Hutt Valley (246), Nelson Marlborough (275), Canterbury (1012), South Canterbury (118), Southern (461) and West Coast (67).

One new infection is in a person whose home region isn't known.

There are also 83 new cases detected at the border.

There are now 47,866 active cases in the community, with more than 1.18 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand since the pandemic began.

Of those in hospital with the virus, most are in Auckland.

Forty-nine are in Waitematā hospitals, 32 in Counties Manukau and 67 in Auckland.

Other hospitalisations are in Northland (6), Waikato (26), Bay of Plenty (8), Lakes (3), Tairāwhiti (3), Hawke's Bay (9), Taranaki (4), Whanganui (1), MidCentral (14), Hutt Valley (15). Capital and Coast (24), Nelson Marlborough (13), Canterbury (57), South Canterbury (7), West Coast (2) and Southern (29).

There is no one in hospital in Wairarapa with Covid-19.

Data on the average age of those hospitalised, and their vaccination status, is only available for those in Northland and Auckland hospitals.

The average age is 62.

Excluding the emergency department, of those in Northland and Auckland hospitals with the virus, 13.4 per cent are unvaccinated or ineligible, 1.3 per cent are partially immunised, 24.6 per cent have received two vaccinations and 58.9 per cent are boosted.

The vaccination status of just under 2 per cent of those hospitalised with Covid-19 isn't known.

New vaccinations remain at a trickle.

Yesterday, 1000 people received their booster shot while 74 first doses and 454 second doses were given to children aged between 5 and 11.

There were also 37 first doses, 46 second doses and 35 third primary doses given to people aged over 12.

The vaccination rate for over-12s is 95.2 per cent double-dosed, with 72.7 per cent of those aged over 18, and eligible, having received their booster.

For Māori, the double-dosed rate is 88.4 per cent, with a boosted rate of 55.8 per cent of eligible over-18s.

Only a quarter of children aged 5 to 11 have received two doses of the vaccine, with 54.6 per cent having had one jab.

Tamariki Māori rates are even lower, with on 12.3 per cent of 5 to 11s double-dosed and 35.5 per cent single-dosed.

The ministry again reminded people the best way they could protect themselves from the virus was to get their booster when eligible.

"As with all variants of Omicron, the public health advice remains the same. Getting your booster remains one of the best defences against Covid-19."

They should also stay home if unwell, get tested if symptomatic, practise good hand hygiene, cover coughs and sneezes and wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor public settings.

It was also important to plan what to do if you become infected with Covid-19 while away from home over the long weekend.

"You would need to self-isolate and likely remain wherever you test positive or become a household contact, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans."

Those who used their own vehicle to travel can travel home to isolate, taking public health measures to ensure they don't infect anyone.

"However, if you have used public transport or travelled between islands, you won't be able to isolate at your home. So it is important you have a plan and the ability to isolate where you are holidaying, if you need to do so."

Yesterday, there were 6232 new community cases of Covid-19 and 14 Covid-related deaths. There were 390 people in hospital with the virus, including eight in ICU.

The ministry also announced four cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 and one case of the subvariant BA.4 in the community.

These are the first BA.4 and BA.5 cases reported in the community, with no clear link to the border.

All of these cases are based on whole-genome sequencing of tests.

The ministry also reported seven cases of BA.2.12.1 in the community, from whole-genome sequencing of tests returned on May 18.