The case of the Covid-19 positive patient at Middlemore Hospital shows how health boards have failed to prepare for infection, the Nurses Union says. See how all the day's Covid-19 news developed with RNZ's blog.
Four wards are closed, patients are being isolated and 29 staff have been stood down after the Covid-19 case was unknowingly admitted on Saturday.
Health Minister Andrew Little says the hospital is well placed to deal with the virus.
But Nurses Organisation head Keri Nuku says mistakes like this one are systemic of a failing, under-resourced system.
She said a case of Covid-19 was inevitable and the hospital was caught unprepared - with major psychological impacts for staff, their families and the wider population.
National Party leader Judith Collins described the handling of the case as a mess.
Collins said it was a failure on the government and Ministry of Health, who could have brought rapid antigen testing at hospitals, and provided better PPE.
The Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, says he doesn't think there was been any negligence on the part of health authorities.
Meanwhile, more than four million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have now been administered in New Zealand.
Speaking at today's government update, at which it was revealed there were 15 new community cases today, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said 2.6 million New Zealanders have had their first dose, including 366,000 who had their shots over the last week.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said people can leave their homes to get a vaccine, but that did not mean crossing the boundary.
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