New Zealand will remain at orange in the traffic light setting, COVID-19 Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced.
Dr Verrall said the country needed to stay at orange as hospitals are under pressure from flu and COVID-19 and numbers starting to creep up again.
"Moving back to red is unnecessary at the moment. We can continue to manage the virus at orange, but are putting in place a range of additional measures to help manage a recent rise in cases," Dr Verrall said.
The Government also made changes to reinfection advice.
"We are also updating our advice around reinfection and are now asking anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms 29 days or longer following their initial infection to test. Should they test positive they will need to isolate for 7 days," Dr Verrall said.
"This is a change from earlier advice which was that people would not need to re-test if they had tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days and is based on the latest international evidence and the need to isolate quickly people with reinfections."
What you need to know:
- All of New Zealand is at orange in the COVID Protection Framework.
- New Zealand recorded 7423 new community cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
- Nineteen additional deaths of people with COVID-19 were reported.
- There are 411 people in hospital, six of whom are in ICU.
These live updates are now over.
1:22pm - Here is the full statement from the Ministry of Health:
Today we are reporting 7,423 community cases and 411 current hospitalisations.
The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 6,114.
We are sadly reporting the deaths of 19 people with COVID-19. All these deaths occurred in the past seven days.
COVID-19 Hospitalisations
- COVID-19 Cases in hospital: total number 411: Northland: 4; Waitematā: 88; Counties Manukau: 38; Auckland: 58; Waikato: 30; Bay of Plenty: 9; Lakes: 19; Tairāwhiti: 1; Hawke’s Bay: 11; Taranaki: 10; Whanganui: 2; MidCentral: 19; Wairarapa: 6; Hutt Valley: 13; Capital and Coast: 27; Nelson Marlborough: 13; Canterbury: 35; South Canterbury: 2; West Coast: 2; Southern: 24.
- Weekly COVID-19 Hospitalisations - 7 day rolling average: 363. (This time last week: 353)
- Average age of current COVID-19 hospitalisations: 63
- Cases in ICU or HDU: 6
- *Vaccination status of new admissions to hospital: Unvaccinated or not eligible (49 cases); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (4 cases); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (60 cases); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (207 cases).
COVID-19 Vaccinations administered
- Vaccines administered to date: 4,028,485 first doses; 3,981,242 second doses; 33,060 third primary doses; 2,694,327 booster doses: 264,177 paediatric first doses and 133,479 paediatric second doses.
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 32 first doses; 214 second doses; 41 third primary doses; 6,770 booster doses; 34 paediatric first doses and 319 paediatric second doses.
- More detailed information, including vaccine uptake by DHB area, is available on the Ministry website.
Tests
- Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 3,692
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 13,404
- PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 2,995
- Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last seven days as of 29 June 2022): 100,000. Today’s number is not available.
Winter illness update
(This update is provided each Thursday)
- Of the 68 people in Auckland and Counties Manukau hospitals for SARI illnesses (severe acute respiratory infection) COVID-19 was the cause the infection in 12.7% and Influenza was the cause in 68.4%.
- Other causes of infection were rhinoviruses and enteroviruses (15%).
- The current rate of hospitalisations in Auckland and Counties Manukau is in line with rates seen in recent years.
COVID-19 Cases
- Total number of new community cases: 7,423
- Number of new cases that have recently travelled overseas: 206
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 6,114
- Seven day rolling average of community cases (as at same day last week): 4,817
- Number of active cases (total): 42,782 (cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 1,331,157
- New cases by DHB and other more detailed case information
Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.
COVID-19 Deaths
- Today’s reported deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with COVID-19 to 1,522 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 13.
- Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today; two were from Northland, three were from the Auckland region, three were from Waikato; one was from Bay of Plenty; one was from Hawke’s Bay; two were from the Wellington region; one was from Nelson-Marlborough; four were from Canterbury; and two were from Southern.
- Two people were in their 50s; three were in their 60s; one was in their 70s; six were in their 80s; and seven were aged over 90. Of these people, 11 were women and eight were men.
- This is a very sad time for whānau and friends and our thoughts and condolences are with them. Out of respect, we will be making no further comment on these deaths.
1:21pm - There are 7423 new community cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand on Thursday, the Ministry of Health has revealed.
The health ministry said there were another 19 COVID-19 deaths reported and 411 people in hospital with the virus, six of whom were in intensive care.
1:12pm - We are still waiting on the daily COVID-19 numbers to come through. We will bring that to you as soon as we get them.
1:10pm - COVID-19 Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said New Zealand will remain at orange in the traffic light setting.
She said the country is remaining at orange as case numbers start to creep up.
Here is the full statement:
The Government is taking action to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and early childhood services, COVID-19 Response Minster Dr Ayesha Verrall and Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced today.
The country will remain at the orange traffic light setting, with cases and hospitalisations remaining much lower than the peaks experienced earlier in the year. But with hospitals under pressure from flu and COVID and numbers starting to creep up again a suite of additional measures are being put in place to help reduce spread.
"Moving back to red is unnecessary at the moment. We can continue to manage the virus at orange, but are putting in place a range of additional measures to help manage a recent rise in cases," Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
"Yesterday the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases was 5,808 and there were 395 people in hospital and eight in ICU. For comparison when we moved out of red in April the rolling average of cases was nearly 10,000 a day and there were over 500 people in hospital including 28 in ICU.
"However cases are ticking up and our health system is under pressure so we are putting in place a range of additional measures to help manage the virus over the coming winter months.
"The first thing we have already announced is the extension of the free flu vaccine to all children aged 3-12 and the provision of a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over the age of 50.
"Getting vaccinated is the number one thing New Zealanders can do to help relieve pressure on our health system this winter. We are seeing an overrepresentation of unvaccinated people in hospital admissions so we strongly urge everyone to make sure they are up to date with their vaccines.
"We are also updating our advice around reinfection and are now asking anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms 29 days or longer following their initial infection to test. Should they test positive they will need to isolate for 7 days.
"This is a change from earlier advice which was that people would not need to re-test if they had tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days and is based on the latest international evidence and the need to isolate quickly people with reinfections.
"However household contacts who have had COVID-19 within 90 days won't need to isolate, unless they are symptomatic. There is clear updated advice on what they should do to reduce risks to themselves and others.
"While reinfections are low at the moment they are likely to increase. The B.5 variant of Omicron is predicted to become the dominant strain in the country in the coming weeks and is a different variant to what most New Zealanders caught the first time around.
"With these measures, alongside additional support in schools and early childhood services, the Government is stepping up our response to help reduce the spread of COVID. We always said this was going to be a challenging winter and we need everyone to play their part to help us get through safely," Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
The Government is also providing a range of measures to help schools reduce the risk of winter illness spreading.
"The Ministry of Education has already secured a supply of 10 million special child-sized masks and intends to have them ready for distribution at the start of Term 3," Jan Tinetti said.
"This means there will be 50 child size masks provided for every child in years 4 to 7 in schools and Kura throughout the country from now until the end of the 2022.
"This is in addition to the adult sized mask offered to all school children from year 8 and up. Around 20,000-30,000 masks are already being distributed to students and staff every week across the country
"The Government will also be providing additional funding this winter to encourage schools and centre-based early childhood services to maintain healthy levels of heating and ventilation to help reduce colds, flu and COVID from spreading.
"Good ventilation over winter can lead to some heat loss and higher heating bills. The winter energy payments will help reassure schools and services that they can balance heating and ventilation, without unaffordable energy bills.
"The Government does not usually explicitly fund energy costs for services, but the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique situation. The scientific evidence is clear that good ventilation helps prevent the spread of COVID-19."
"In addition the Government has already provided every school in New Zealand with CO2 monitors to help them identify spaces where maintaining good ventilation is proving more challenging, and bought more than 8,000 air cleaners to help improve the ventilation in these areas. Every school has access to more air cleaners at no cost if they need them to help supplement their approach to ventilation this winter.
"I want thank our teachers, principals and parents, who are doing a fantastic job at keeping infection rates down. I'm pleased we are able to provide this extra support to help get through winter," Jan Tinetti said
1:03pm - New Zealand will remain at orange in the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
12:55pm - We are just waiting on a statement from the Ministry of Health and the Government. We'll bring that to you the moment we get it.
12:52pm - ACT leader David Seymour has called on the Government to do the "right thing" and end the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
Here is the full statement:
"Labour needs to do the right thing and announce the end of the Traffic Light Framework today," says ACT Leader David Seymour.
"The Traffic Light system is redundant. The Government has dismantled its own system to the point it has no reason to exist. It was introduced to control crowd limits, encourage vaccination and for contact tracing. None of that is happening anymore.
"Now it exists as a cruel reminder to Kiwis of the ongoing cost of our COVID response. Over the top isolation periods are wreaking havoc on businesses and communities, while excessive government spending on things like contact tracing centres and vaccine advertising continues to fuel inflation and make life harder for everyone.
"Chris Hipkins has owned up to his regret for not moving Auckland out of lockdown earlier. His hesitation cost people their livelihoods and served no tangible benefit in preventing the spread of COVID with new and more infectious variants taking hold. Minister Verrall can't make the same mistake of hanging on to unnecessary restrictions for too long at the expense of everyday Kiwis.
"There may be rising case numbers but that doesn't justify rules that aren't working. ACT says the benefits of policies must outweigh their costs. For example, if masks aren't justified in nightclubs, they certainly aren't justified in retail, and neither is the abuse retail staff get as de facto police of the mask rules.
"New Zealand no longer has a coherent COVID strategy and the Minister has no rationale for explaining the continuation of these restrictions. They claim they exist due to an 'abundance of caution', but it equates to an abundance of cost for New Zealanders.
"Fundamentally, other countries were out of the blocks, moving on from COVID as early as possible. We are holding on to a long COVID hangover that is suffocating businesses.
"New Zealanders are fed up. It's time to move on. No more arbitrary traffic light and alert level systems, no more fear about what restrictions could be inflicted on us. It's time to catch up to the rest of the world and move on."
12:40pm - Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live updates of the COVID-19 outbreak for Thursday.
