Focus: NZ Delta Outbreak | Friday 31st December
Dec 31, 2021: Today's update comes as Auckland prepares for large New Year's Eve crowds to be allowed to gather for the first time since August. Video / NZ Herald
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Experts fear the worst is yet to come as evidence shows the virus is not under control.
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Resources may be stretched even thinner with the return of tourists from China.
US economy can still pull off ‘soft landing’
Financial Times: Biden administration sees large-scale investments blunting downturn.
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Lack of info on China’s Covid-19 surge stirs global concern
It comes after China said it would start reissuing passports and visas for Lunar New Year.
No plans to Covid test travellers from China as other nations impose restrictions
China resumes travel for citizens who wish to go overseas from next week.
US will require Covid-19 testing for travellers from China
The US will join other nations in imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.
China to resume issuing passports, fuelling infection fears as virus surges
The tourism move is China's latest big step away from its harsh Covid restrictions.
Covid 19: Child under 10 among today's reported Covid deaths, 32,010 new cases last week
The update comes after Kiwis scattered the country to celebrate Christmas.
China races to vaccinate elderly amid Covid surge, but many reluctant
China has eased rules on testing, quarantine and movement, and cases are surging.
Why I don’t buy the PM’s summer Covid message
Why did we spend last summer in the trenches, and this summer in the sunshine?
A Covid Christmas: Past the peak or not reporting?
Cases plummet but does this mean we have seen the peak of this latest wave?
China’s Covid-19 outbreak could cripple iPhone production
Move away from zero-Covid policy threatens supply chain chaos.
China’s Covid-19 surge raises odds of new coronavirus mutant
The country of 1.4 billion has largely abandoned its “zero-Covid” policy.
'Celebrating Christmas': Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic
Tourism is the economic lifeblood of the occupied West Bank town.
Late postal deliveries double as Covid takes toll
Service struggling to keep up with unprecedented demand while recovering from pandemic.
Covid 19: How common are severe side effects from vaccines?
Here’s how severe vaccine side effects are tracked, confirmed and prevented.
Govt didn't really need to underwrite business loans in 2020/21
Treasury-commissioned report card of Business Finance Guarantee Scheme published.
Baby W discharged from hospital after life-saving surgery
The successful, live-saving took place just under two weeks ago on December 9
Police officer allegedly fraudulently obtained Covid-19 wage subsidy for his own business
The employees who he claimed needed the money, later denied working for him.
Covid-19: Study to shed new light on NZ’s blurry immunity landscape
Study to track virus antibody levels in 300 Kiwis to build better picture of NZ immunity.
Focus: How to stay Covid safe this summer
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One of the last places on earth to be Covid-free now has positive cases
NZ is sending medical supplies to Tokelau after recording its first cases of Covid-19.
China buckling under ‘tsunami’ of Covid infections
A video shared on social media shows chaotic scenes in a Chinese hospital.
Covid-19: Here are some simple steps to help us socialise safely during holidays
The pre-Christmas period puts New Zealanders at high risk of exposure to virus.
From zero-Covid to no plan: Behind China’s pandemic u-turn
New York Times: After micromanaging, Xi Jinping has left China to improvise.
Māori undercounted and under-resourced in health, new data report confirms
Health data has never given a true indication of Māori numbers.
Hospital cases could peak in Christmas wave of Covid
Ministry of Health estimates a possible peak of about 1100 people in hospital.
Holiday hotspots gear up for city slickers, Covid cases soar
Rural medical centres could reach breaking point if staff fall ill.
42,740 cases, 64 deaths in past 7 days; Covid wave keeps climbing
Wastewater virus levels are trending upwards as health officials release Covid numbers.
Covid-19: Beware the Christmas Grinch
Up to one in 20 could be infected at the height of the festive season.
Traumatised by Covid, but ruled by a party that never apologises
New York Times: Many in China want national reckoning over hard-line “zero Covid” policy.