The were 19 Covid-related deaths reported on Saturday, including two children under the age of nine.
Video / Dean Purcell / Michael Craig / Alex Burton
Two young children are among 19 deaths of people with Covid-19 announced today.
New Zealand also has its first known case of the XE variant of Omicron, discovered in a traveller on April 20, a day after they arrived in New Zealand.
It's the first known detection in New Zealand of the variant, a combination of the BA.1 and BA.2 sub variants of Omicron and for which early evidence indicates might be slightly more transmissible than BA.2, which itself is more transmissible than BA.1.
The variant was discovered through whole genome sequencing and the person was isolating at home, the Health Ministry said.
XE had been spreading overseas and its arrival here wasn't unexpected.
"At this stage, the public health settings already in place to manage other Omicron variants are assessed to be appropriate for managing XE and no changes are required.
"There is no evidence to date that XE causes more severe disease than other Omicron lineages, noting that it takes weeks or months to identify the severity of each new variant."
The two children included in today's death toll were aged under 9, the ministry said.
A person aged in their 20s was also among the 19 new deaths, which include people who died over the last seven days and which takes the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 665.
The other deaths were of a person aged in their 20s, four in their 60s, two in their 70s, five in their 80s and five people aged over 90. Nine were male and 10 were female.
Six of those who died were from Auckland, four from Canterbury, two from Waikato and one each from Northland, Bay of Plenty, Whanganui, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough and Southern district health board areas.
"This is a very sad time for whānau and friends and our thoughts and condolences are with them", the ministry said.
There are 7930 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, with the seven-day rolling average of cases up from 8283 a week ago to 8475.
The highest number of new community cases was in Auckland, with 2037, ahead of Canterbury on 1306 and Southern on 929.
Other new cases were in: Northland (275), Waikato (548), Bay of Plenty (300), Lakes (163), Hawke's Bay (253), MidCentral (321), Whanganui (123), Taranaki (263), Tairāwhiti (73), Wairarapa (83), Capital and Coast (459), Hutt Valley (240), Nelson Marlborough (294), South Canterbury (164) and West Coast (93).
Six cases are from unknown locations and 55 new cases were detected at the border.
The number of active community cases is 59,300, with 875,794 cases confirmed in New Zealand since the pandemic began.
Just over 95 per cent of Kiwis aged over 12 have received two vaccinations against Covid-19, and 71.1 per cent of those eligible are boosted. Māori are 88.2 per cent double-dosed and 55.1 per cent of those eligible are boosted.
For children aged 5 to 11, 54.2 per cent have received a first dose and 22.4 per cent a second. Tamariki Māori are 35.2 per cent single-dosed and 10.5 per cent double-dosed.
Meanwhile, Kiwis who have headed away on holiday have also been warned to have plans in place in case they contract Covid-19 or become a household contact.
"You would need to self-isolate and likely remain wherever you test positive or become a household contact," the ministry said.
"There may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans."
People who used their own vehicle to travel could travel back home to isolate, taking public health measures to ensure they did not infect anyone on their way home.
That included using self-service petrol stations and maintaining social distance.
"However, if you have used public transport or travelled between islands, you won't be able to isolate at your home," the ministry said. "So it is important you have a plan and the ability to isolate where you are holidaying, if you need to do so."
The ministry said the three actions everyone could do to help protect themselves and others over the long weekend were:
• Be up to date with vaccinations, including a booster if you've not yet had one. If you are planning to be away, get boosted before you go.
• Wear a mask. Masks are still required in many indoor settings. A good rule of thumb is to wear a mask in indoor public settings as we know that mask use halves the risk of spread of Covid-19. You must also wear a face mask on all flights and public transport, in taxis and ride-share services — unless you are exempt.
• Stay home and avoid others if you're unwell, isolating or waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test.
Kiwis who have headed away to enjoy the long weekend and second week of school holidays have been urged to have a plan in place in case they catch Covid-19. Photo / Getty Images
