There are 23,183 new community cases of Covid-19 being reported today, while 503 people are in hospital with the coronavirus, including seven in intensive care.

There are 146,527 known active community cases in New Zealand.

In today's media update, Ministry of Health Primary Care Lead Dr Joe Bourne says 99 per cent of people with Covid-19 are being safely cared for and isolating in the community.

"The majority of people are able to care for themselves, with support of whanau and others in their community."

Bourne recommends accessing information online wherever possible, so that other resources can be available for those who don't have access to the online aid.

"While GP's will continue to be able to meet the demand, they wont be able to call every single person that has Covid-19, and so if people are feeling particularly unwell research online."

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says for the period of 21-27 February, about one per cent of the New Zealand population were active Covid cases.

He says most current cases are under 30 years old - with 54 per cent of today's cases under 30 and just 14 per cent aged over 50.

The opposite pattern is seen for those in hospital, he said, with 21 per cent under 30, and over 60 per cent aged over 50.

Dr Bloomfield says the hospitalisation rate is just 3.5 per 1000 active cases, but as seen in other countries hospitalisations lag by a week to 10 days behind case numbers, so both the rate and the number in hospital is expected to rise over the next couple of weeks.

About one in 10 people in hospital in Auckland were there with Covid-19, including those in emergency departments, he said.

Bloomfield says the rate for vaccinated people aged 12 and over with a booster is only a fifth of what it was for those without any vaccination.

He urges people who were eligible but have not yet had a booster - or other vaccinations - to go and get it, as he said it remained the best protection against going to hospital.

Yesterday authorities reported 22,152 new community cases and 405 people in hospital, including 10 in intensive care.

More soon..