Covid 19 Omicron update: 57 new community cases in the Whanganui region

Whanganui medical officer of health Dr Patrick O'Connor said nearly a quarter of people in the Whanganui region had had Covid-19, but many cases would have been missed. Photo / Bevan Conley

Nearly a quarter of Whanganui residents have reported having had Covid-19, according to the Whanganui DHB.

But that figure is likely to be higher with many cases not being discovered, Whanganui medical officer of health Dr Patrick O'Connor said.

There were 57 new community cases of Covid-19 in the Whanganui region announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Health.

O'Connor said as of today 16,372 people had reported having Covid in the Whanganui DHB area.

"This didn't include those who hadn't recorded their test results, so it's undoubtedly an undercount," O'Connor said.

"That's over 23 per cent of the population, nearly a quarter."

The seven-day rolling average for daily cases in Whanganui is 49.

This is the first time since the beginning of the outbreak on March 3 that the average has gone below 50.

The ministry also reported there were two people in Whanganui Hospital with Covid-19.

Nationally, there were 5285 new community cases of Covid-19.

Throughout the country, there were 300 people in hospital with Covid-19.

The ministry reported the deaths of 12 people with Covid-19.