With 162 new cases in the community, Monday marks New Zealand's highest daily count of COVID-19 infections so far in the pandemic.
But beyond the figure, there is a lot more to unpack from the Ministry of Health's latest COVID-19 update.
Locations of cases
Of Monday's 162 new cases, 156 are in Auckland, five are in Waikato, and one is in Northland.
Another staff member of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in the Auckland suburb of Henderson has tested positive, bringing the total number of staff cases to two. The total number of cases related to Edmonton Meadows care home is now 10.
Two of the COVID-positive residents are currently receiving appropriate ward-level care at North Shore Hospital.
The care home is operating under alert level 3 guidelines for visitors, meaning people have only been able to visit the facility on compassionate grounds.
The source of transmission at the Edmonton Meadows remains unknown, the Ministry of Health says, so whole genome sequencing is underway.
In Waikato, two of Monday's cases are in Ōtorohanga, and one each in Ngāruawāhia and Hamilton. The fifth case is a case in Ōtorohanga that was announced on Sunday that came in after the Ministry of Health's daily reporting time cut-off. This case is still under investigation to determine any links to existing cases.
Three of the other five cases reported on Monday are known contacts already in isolation and the remaining case has now also been linked to existing cases.
Wastewater detection in Christchurch
While there were no new cases to report in Christchurch on Monday, the Ministry of Health says COVID-19 has been detected in two new wastewater samples found in the Garden City on Friday.
They were taken in the southern and eastern parts of the city.
"One of these samples is likely the result of a known case living in the catchment area," the Ministry of Health says.
"Investigations are underway to establish any link to known cases for the second sample, including any recovered cases that have recently left MIQ."
Further samples are being taken, with results expected later this week.
Vaccination rates by DHBs with active cases
Northland:
- 127,753 first doses (79 percent of the eligible population)
- 103,689 second doses (64 percent).
Auckland metro DHBs:
- 1,308,317 first doses (91 percent)
- 1,154,622 second doses (81 percent).
Waikato DHB:
- 309,732 first doses (87 percent)
- 258,045 second doses (72 percent).
Canterbury DHB:
- 440,277 first doses (91 percent)
- 356,328 second doses (74 percent).
All of New Zealand:
- 3,709,315 first doses (88 percent)
- 3,159,301 second doses (75 percent).
Hospitalisations
There are 53 COVID-positive people in hospital, down from 56 on Sunday.
There are 19 people each in Middlemore Hospital and Auckland Hospital, and 15 in North Shore Hospital.
Three of these cases are in an intensive care unit or high dependency unit.
The average age of people currently in hospital is 47 years old.
The Ministry of Health doesn't give a daily breakdown of whether people currently hospitalised were fully or partially vaccinated. However, they do give details of vaccination status of all hospitalisations throughout this current outbreak.
Of the 260 total people who have been hospitalised:
- 187 weren't vaccinated
- 26 had just one dose, received less than 14 days before being reported as a case
- 27 had one dose given more than 14 days before reported as a case
- 5 were fully vaccinated, but their second dose had been given less than 14 days before they became a case
- 3 were fully vaccinated for at least 14 days before reported as a case
- 12 people weren't eligible for the vaccine because they were younger than 12 years old.
