There are 167 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today - including two in the Bay of Plenty - with two new deaths also reported.
Photo: 123rf.com
In a statement, the Ministry said today's official cases included 142 in Auckland, 17 in Waikato, five in Northland, and one each in the Bay of Plenty, Lakes, and Canterbury DHB areas.
The Ministry said the continued spread of the coronavirus to regions throughout New Zealand was a "reminder that everyone needs to heed the advice that will help keep our communities as safe as possible".
"That includes ensuring you and your loved ones are fully vaccinated if eligible, that you wear a mask, keep a safe distance from people outside your bubble, and keep track of your movements outside your home."
The two new cases in the Bay of Plenty are one in Mount Maunganui and the other in Tauranga. Notification of the Tauranga case came after the official 9am cut-off time for reporting and will be formally included in tomorrow's figures. It follows positive detection of Covid-19 in the region's wastewater samples.
"Interviews are continuing to determine case movements. Any locations of interest will be added to the Ministry's website as these are identified," the statement said.
"Everyone who lives in or has travelled to the region is asked to monitor locations of interest regularly and follow any advice given. Anyone with Covid-19 related symptoms is asked to get tested as soon as possible - even if the symptoms are mild."
The two new cases of Covid-19 in Christchurch include the one announced yesterday and a household contact who is already in isolation. The second case will be added to the case tally tomorrow.
The Ministry is continuing to advise passengers on flight NZ1295 from Auckland to Christchurch on Saturday 13 November to get a test today, if they haven't already, and monitor for symptoms for the next 10 days.
The five new cases in Northland - including two in Dargaville, one in Whangārei, one in the Far North and one in Kaikohe - are all linked.
"Cases of Covid-19 are widespread in Northland and we ask everyone in the region to remain vigilant," the statement said.
A number of the 17 new cases reported in Waikato were only confirmed this morning, so location and contact tracing information is still being gathered. There are also three people receiving care at Waikato Hospital.
There were two new Covid-19 cases announced in the MidCentral region today, taking the total in the region to four. These cases, which include one case in the town of Ashhurst and one in Levin, will be formally included in the region's total tomorrow.
Both people are likely to be linked to known cases.
New deaths reported
The two new deaths of patients with Covid-19 were a woman in her 80s who died at Middlemore Hospital, and a man in his 90s in North Shore Hospital. He had been living at the Edmonton Meadows Care Home.
"The man had a number of underlying health conditions and was receiving appropriate ward-level care after being admitted earlier this month with Covid-19.
"Our thoughts are with their families and friends at this deeply sad time," the statement said.
There are 85 people in hospital with Covid-19, including six in intensive care.
Auckland Regional Public Health Service and Auckland DHB continue to provide support to the residents and staff at the Rosaria Rest Home in Avondale, where five residents have now tested positive for Covid-19.
There was one new case in managed isolation announced today.
There were 194 new community cases of Covid-19 recorded yesterday - 180 in Auckland, five in Waikato, three in Northland, six in Taupō and one in Tūrangi.
There have been 6334 cases reported in the current community outbreak and 9090 since the pandemic began.
This morning it was announced a man who attended a cricket training session in Palmerston North this week had tested positive for Covid-19. The Manawatū Cricket Association confirmed he attended his club training on Tuesday evening.
My Vaccine Pass
The Ministry said its My Vaccine Pass system came under heavy pressure yesterday when it was switched on at 9am.
"The number of people attempting to get a pass caused some of the automated controls for restricting access to kick in. These controls are designed to prevent the site being taken down in the event of a denial-of-service attack."
It said the site was now working well and about 200,000 My Vaccine Passes were processed by midnight.
"People unable to log in to My Covid Record are asked to please be patient - My Vaccine Pass will not be needed until we move to the Covid-19 Protection Framework."