Covid-19 case numbers continued to drop in the community outbreak today, while new modelling released by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern showed that a 90 percent vaccination rate is needed to avoid future lockdowns.
Photo: RNZ / Getty / Pool / AFP
There were 15 new community cases announced today, all in Auckland. This was down from 23 on Wednesday.
Te Pūnaha Matatini modellers said in their new study that the higher the level of vaccination across the country, the lower the need could be for future lockdowns.
However, Professor Michael Plank said if New Zealand can lift its vaccination rates well over 90 percent of over 12s, the virus can be controlled with more sustainable measures such as testing, contact tracing and mask use.
About 73 percent of the country's eligible population has currently received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Dr Rachelle Binny said the modelling results released today showed the importance of reaching the highest possible vaccination rate.
"If nearly every New Zealander gets the vaccine, we could avoid the need for strict alert level 3 - 4 restrictions."
Auckland University Professor Shaun Hendy joined the 1pm press conference today to discuss the modelling.
"The far lower need to use lockdowns is a very big carrot for everybody in New Zealand. If we can get up into that 90 percent rate then we can say goodbye to lockdowns."
Photo: Pool / NZ Herald / Mark Mitchell
Ardern also said vaccination continued to be New Zealand's main tool.
"It all comes down to vaccination."
She said lockdowns were needed in the first phase of the pandemic because there were no vaccines and everyone had to be isolated.
"With vaccines, we can turn that model on its head," she said, so positive cases can be isolated as others have the protection of vaccines.
"Children can't be vaccinated. It will reach them. And we've seen it reach them in this outbreak," she said.
The plan was never zero cases, but "zero tolerance" for Covid, she said.
"Models are imperfect beasts, but they give us tools to make our decisions. The principles are clear - vaccination matters."
Mount Wellington added to suburbs of interest
Mount Wellington was added to the government's suburbs of interest list today. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said people in the area are being urged to get tested, whether they have symptoms or not.
There are pop-up testing centres at the netball centre on Ferguson Drive and at Mount Smart Stadium.
The other suburbs of interest are Māngere, Favona, Otara and Manurewa.
Mount Eden, Massey and Papatoetoe have now been removed from that list.
In another suburb of interest, more than 10 percent of the population has now been tested. More than 1300 people have been tested in Clover Park over the past two days.
Dr. Bloomfield also announced at today's press conference that a section-70 order for northern Hauraki after positive cases related to a prisoner bailed to a Firth of Thames address has now been lifted.
Photo: 123RF
Would you like a jab with your Big Mac?
Order up - vaccinations will begin at popular fast food drive-throughs in Auckland in the next few days.
The Ministry of Health said it has been looking at new opportunities to vaccinate people where they turn up in large numbers in the community.
A spokesperson said that includes the many fast-food options that have been so busy as the city moved to level 3.
Naylor Love chief executive Rick Herd told Morning Report all his staff are abiding by the rules, and if workers are ever seen not adhering to Covid-19 protocols, the public should dob them in.
Herd said mandatory vaccinations is a tricky subject, but he doesn't think New Zealand tradies would protest like their Melbourne counterparts have in response to Covid-19 restrictions.
"There's some legitimate reasons why people will not want vaccinations, some will have health reasons, some for religious reasons and we've got to respect that.
"What we're doing and most of the industry is looking at doing is starting a process of consultation, identifying who in your organisation is resistance to having vaccination."
Aotearoa's big corporations are also starting to offer incentives to employees who get vaccinated.
Fully-vaccinated employees of Vodafone, Vodafone Retail and Hays contractors will be eligible for a $200 dollar broadband credit and a chance to win a new phone.
The Warehouse Group is also offering $100 to every team member who has been fully vaccinated.
Vodafone's chief executive, Jason Paris, told Morning Report the company was also giving staff a half day off to get vaccinated, as it recognised that time was a barrier faced by many.
Paris said his company was doing all it could to make it easier for staff to get vaccinated, as well as offering financial incentives.
"It doesn't matter if you're in the elimination camp or the 'live with it' camp with Covid. Both camps rely on New Zealanders getting vaccinated as quickly as possible," he said.
Photo: RNZ / Jordan Bond
Strain being felt by businesses, students and travellers
Many Auckland residents caught out by the Level 4 lockdown are expressing anger as they're stung by cancellation fees from rentals booked during lockdown.
Waikato resident Eloise, who didn't want her last name used, lost more than $800 to an Airbnb rental she couldn't stay in - because the country went into lockdown.
"It was a lockdown, they weren't even willing to negotiate with us."
Consumer NZ says since the most recent lockdown, its contact centre has received up to 15 complaints about Covid-19-affected accommodation each week.
"Consumer NZ would prefer customers to get a full refund from the business, especially if they are facing hardship," a spokesperson said.
Other Auckland parents expressed their frustration that the Ministry of Health will not let their children return to boarding schools in other regions.
Jane Migounoff from Pukekohe said she and other families estimated about 150 children in the Franklin area alone were affected by the problem.
"Pukekohe is part of Auckland so we're currently in level 3 and the schools that our children attend are sitting in level 2. The schools are operating with students in class and our children can't attend, so they're not learning," she said.
Business owners are also worried, with the owner of a 107-year-old business on Auckland Ponsonby Road saying another Level 4 lockdown would finish him off.
The owner of D. Jairam and Sons on Ponsonby Road, Suresh Jeram, told RNZ that "It's been very difficult for us, but somehow we're managing."
"But next time we have this sort of thing, we're not going to [survive]. We'll probably close. We've been here now 107 years," said Jeram, whose great-grandfather opened the store in 1915.
The shop has been unable to pay its suppliers in full recently, and Jeram struck a deal to stretch out the company's repayments. Jeram hopes that foot traffic will lift with more people back at work and takeout available.
"That's what I'm betting on, that things will improve.
"We'll just see how it goes. We don't know how it's going to go yet. [But] another big lockdown like this, and we're finished."
Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Melbourne, leaving at least four people injured and more than 200 arrested. Photo: AFP
Morrison condemns Melbourne protests; US approves boosters
Across the ditch, New South Wales recorded 1063 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday.
In Victoria, the state recorded its highest single-day tally for daily cases, with 766 new Covid-19 infections reported.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned "disrespectful" protests at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, as protesters vow to continue the chaos.
"The conduct was disgraceful," he said.
"It was disrespectful and it dishonoured those Australians who have made the mat sacrifice and I would hope any and all who were in that should be ashamed."
Protests against the coronavirus lockdown and mandatory vaccinations began on Monday after the Victorian government announced a two-week shutdown of the construction industry, and have grown in scope since then.
In America, US drug regulators have approved Pfizer booster vaccines for people over 65 if they had their last shot at least six months ago.
The Food and Drug Administration previously approved adults who are at higher risk of severe illness and who work in frontline jobs to get the booster jab.
It means tens of millions of Americans are now eligible for their third shot. However, the boosters still need approval from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Independent panels from the CDC are holding meetings this week, and are expected to endorse the move quickly, US media report.
By the numbers
* There were 15 new community cases today.
* There are now a total of 1123 in this outbreak, 861 of whom have recovered.
* There are 15 people in hospital, three in ICU.
* A total of 4,867,818 vaccine doses have been given; 3,171,029 first doses and 1,696,789 second doses.
* One new case was identified at the border today.