Eight more people with Covid-19 have died in New Zealand, while the number of new community cases has fallen to 14,494 today.
Photo: AFP
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there were 896 people in hospital, including 18 in ICU. The average age of those in hospital is 57.
The seven-day rolling average of cases is currently at 19,771, a slight dip from yesterday's figure of 19,888, but today is the fifth day in a row that total case numbers have dropped in New Zealand.
There were 18,699 new community cases reported yesterday, with the death toll rising by 14 in the previous two days.
The Ministry noted that the fall in case numbers recent days has been most pronounced in Auckland, where numbers have fallen from just under 10,000 reported cases on 8 March to 4509 today.
Today's other new cases were reported in Northland (440), Waikato (1420), Bay of Plenty (931), Lakes (394), Hawke's Bay (597), MidCentral (472), Whanganui (137), Taranaki (355), Tairāwhiti (289), Wairarapa (105), Capital and Coast (1141), Hutt Valley (845), Nelson Marlborough (376), Canterbury (1664), South Canterbury (93), Southern (703) and West Coast DHBs.
Six of the eight deaths reported today occurred in the Auckland region, with one in Waikato and one in Lakes. Three people were in their 60s, one was in their 70s, one was their 80s, and three people were in their 90s. Two were male and six were female.
The total number of Covid-19-related deaths is now 113.
There were also 22 cases at the border reported today.
New Zealand has now recorded a total of 361,108 cases of Covid-19.
There were 7689 booster doses given yesterday, as well as 162 first doses; 454 second doses; 21 third primary doses; 1040 paediatric first doses and 861 paediatric second doses.