There are 116 new cases of Covid-19 in the Bay of Plenty, forming part of a record daily load of 6137, including the death of a patient at Middlemore Hospital today.

This is significantly higher than the 5000 mark that Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins had indicated it was likely to be during a 12pm stand-up in which the move into phase three of New Zealand's Omicron response was confirmed.

There are now six cases of Covid-19 in Tauranga Hospital. Across the country, the number is 205, including two that are currently in an Intensive Care or a High Dependency unit.

There are a further 75 cases of Covid-19 in the Lakes DHB region, with four in hospital.

Regarding the death, the MOH says the family has requested no further details be released.

'Out of respect for those wishes, we will be making no further comment,” says a MOH spokesperson.

'Our thoughts and condolences are with the patient's family and friends at this deeply sad time.”

The MOH says that the increasing numbers of cases and hospitalisations are another reminder that vaccination is our best defence against the virus.

'There is growing evidence that three doses of Pfizer is protective against infection and symptomatic infection for Omicron,” says a MOH spokesperson.

'We are strongly encouraging people to get a booster dose if it has been more than three months since their second dose.”

The total number of cases reported is now set to include those identified from both RATs and PCR tests. A breakdown gives how many cases were identified using PCR and how many through RATs.

Today's figure will include cases identified with RATs in the same midnight-to-midnight reporting period used for reporting positive PCR tests.

'We'd like to thank the thousands of people who have already self-reported positive RAT results,” says the MOH.

'Based on overseas experiences, the Ministry of Health has been expecting the true number of community cases to be higher than the cases reported each day and this has been factored into our Omicron planning.

'When assessing the outbreak, health officials typically review trends in the 7-day rolling average of community cases to understand the spread of the virus, as well as hospitalisations to understand severe Covid-19 illness and related impacts on the health system.

'Because we focus on the actual trend, any potential ‘undercount' doesn't significantly impact our assessment of the trend, and subsequent public health advice and decision-making.”

Further information on RATS will be reported in the coming days.

A full breakdown from the MOH can be seen below...

Covid-19 vaccine update

Vaccinations administered in New Zealand

• Vaccines administered to date: 4,017,924 first doses; 3,955,733 second doses; 32,938 third primary doses; 2,248,153 booster doses: 232,359 paediatric first doses and 2,239 paediatric second doses
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 536 first doses; 1,146 second doses; 136 third primary doses; 24,632 booster doses; 1,385 paediatric first doses and 150 paediatric second doses

People vaccinated (including those vaccinated overseas)

• All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,060,799 first dose (96.5%); 3,997,213 second dose (95%), 2,249,809 boosted (68.2% of those eligible)*
• Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 518,452 first dose (90.8%); 497,159 second dose (87.1%), 188,490 boosted (57.5% of those eligible)
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 280,301 first dose (97.8%); 273,994 second dose (95.6%), 112,815 boosted (55% of those eligible)
• 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 232,276 first dose (48.8%); 2,259 second dose (0.5%)
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 33,669 first dose (29.1%); 368 second dose (0.3%)
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 20,040 first dose (40.6%); 337 second dose (0.7%)

*Note, that the number for 'people vaccinated” differs slightly from 'vaccines administered” as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas.

Vaccination rates for all DHBs (percentage of eligible people aged 12 +)

• Northland DHB: first dose (90.3%); second dose (87.7%); boosted (67.5%)
• Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.3%); second dose (96%); boosted (65%)
• Waikato DHB: first dose (95.3%); second dose (93.4%); boosted (64.8%)
• Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.2%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (65.7%)
• Lakes DHB: first dose (93.6%); second dose (91.3%); boosted (66.3%)
• MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.1%); boosted (70.9%)
• Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (93.3%); second dose (90.6%); boosted (67%)
• Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.3%); second dose (90.4%); boosted (71.8%)
• Hawke's Bay DHB: first dose (97.2%); second dose (95.1%); boosted (69.5%)
• Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.8%); second dose (93%); boosted (65.6%)
• Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.7%); second dose (94.9%); boosted (73.4%)
• Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.7%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (75.6%)
• Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (72.7%)
• Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (74.9%)
• West Coast DHB: first dose (93%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (71.9%)
• Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.7%); second dose (98.5%); boosted (69.8%)
• South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (94%); boosted (73.1%)
• Southern DHB: first dose (97.8%); second dose (96.5%); boosted (73%)

Hospitalisations

• Cases in hospital: total number 205: North Shore: 33; Middlemore: 67; Auckland: 77; Tauranga: 6; Lakes: 4; Waikato: 8; Hutt Valley: 5; Capital and Coast: 3; Canterbury: 2; Tairāwhiti: 1
• Average age of current hospitalisations: 52
• Cases in ICU or HDU: 2
• Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (23 cases / 14.5%); partially immunised

Cases

• Seven day rolling average of community cases (PCR): 2,911
• Number of new community cases: 6,137
• Number of new community cases (PCR): 3,526
• Number of new community cases (RAT): 2,611
• Location of new community cases (PCR): Northland (56), Auckland (1,979), Waikato (314), Bay of Plenty (116), Lakes (75), Hawke's Bay (30), MidCentral (69), Whanganui (13), Taranaki (30), Tairāwhiti (26), Wairarapa (11), Capital and Coast (120), Hutt Valley (68), Nelson Marlborough (112), Canterbury (194), South Canterbury (3), Southern (305), West Coast (4)
• Location of new community cases (RAT): Northland (24), Auckland (1,900), Waikato (163), Bay of Plenty (75), Lakes (16), Hawke's Bay (30), MidCentral (8), Whanganui (4), Taranaki (4), Tairāwhiti (0), Wairarapa (4), Capital and Coast (44), Hutt Valley (5), Nelson Marlborough (11), Canterbury (43), South Canterbury (3), Southern (290), West Coast (0)
• Number of new cases identified at the border: 8
• Location of origin of border cases: Full travel history not obtained (8)
• Number of active community cases (total): 27,611 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classified as recovered)
• Confirmed cases (total): 42,469

* 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.

Tests

• Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 33,225
• PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 29,085
• PCR testing positivity (last 24 hours): 10.9%
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests stock available in New Zealand: 6.3 million