The Ministry of Health has clarified how it defines Covid-19 cause of deaths, as New Zealand's toll passes 1000.
Photo:
In a statement before the daily case update, the ministry said it was expediting the process for formally coding the cause of death for those who have died within 28 days of a Covid-19 infection or as a result of one.
"This means that most of the deaths that have now been publicly announced have been assessed as either having Covid-19 as the underlying cause, contributing to the death, or unrelated to the death," the ministry said.
"Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one from Covid-19," the ministry said.
"While there has been a significant increase in the number of deaths from Covid-19 since the start of the Omicron outbreak, New Zealand has still experienced significantly lower cumulative Covid-19 mortality than most countries."