The Ministry of Health is reporting 6,862 new community cases, 350 current hospitalisations and 25 deaths today.

There are 193 new community cases in Bay of Plenty and 104 in Lakes. There are seven people in Bay of Plenty hospitals and five in Lakes hospitals. There are 10 people in ICU.

People who are at high-risk of getting very sick from a Covid-19 infection will soon be eligible to receive a second booster, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says today.

This follows a recommendation from the Ministry of Health's Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group that a second booster dose may be beneficial for those most at-risk of serious illness from Covid-19 and with a gap of six months from their previous booster.

There are 90 new imported cases of Covid-19 reported today.

Across New Zealand there are currently 48,706 active community cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered. In total, New Zealand has had 1,131,801 confirmed cases.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 6,960 – last Friday, it was 8,032.

Covid-19 deaths

'Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 25 people with Covid-19,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

These deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 1,127 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 13.

'Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today; five were from the Auckland region, three were from Northland, one was from Waikato, one was from Hawkes Bay, nine were from Canterbury, two were from the Wellington region, one was from Midcentral, one was from Bay of Plenty, and two were from Southern.”

One person was in their 30s, three people were their 40s, four in their 50s, two people were in their 60s, four were in their 70s, six were in their 80s, and five were aged over 90.

Of these people, 13 were female and 11 were male. The gender of one person was not reported.

'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,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

Vaccinations administered in New Zealand

• Vaccines administered to date: 4,027,415 first doses; 3,979,369 second doses; 32,368 third primary doses; 2,654,507 booster doses: 262,705 paediatric first doses and 123,151 paediatric second doses
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 81 first doses; 61 second doses; 34 third primary doses; 790 booster doses; 69 paediatric first doses and 191 paediatric second doses

People vaccinated  

• All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,054,492 first dose (96.3%); 4,005,752 second dose (95.2%), 2,647,113 boosted (70.6% of those eligible)
• Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 521,264 first dose (91.3%); 504,471 second dose (88.3%), 237,495 boosted (53.4% of those eligible)
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 282,043 first dose (98.4%); 277,232 second dose (96.7%), 141,813 boosted (56.4% of those eligible)
• 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 259,676 first dose (54.5%); 120,150 second dose (25.2%)
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Māori: 40,975 first dose (35.5%); 13,911 second dose (12%)
• 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 23,631 first dose (47.8%); 7,155 second dose (14.5%)

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

• Northland DHB: first dose (90%); second dose (88%); boosted (67.1%)
• Auckland DHB: first dose (99.1%); second dose (98.2%); boosted (73.1%)
• Counties Manukau DHB: first dose (96.2%); second dose (95%); boosted (65.7%)
• Waitemata DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (70.8%)
• Waikato DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (66%)
• Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.1%); second dose (93.4%); boosted (65.2%)
• Lakes DHB: first dose (93%); second dose (91.2%); boosted (65.4%)
• MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.3%); second dose (95.1%); boosted (71.5%)
• Tairāwhiti DHB: first dose (92.8%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (65.1%)
• Whanganui DHB: first dose (91.8%); second dose (90.3%); boosted (70.7%)
• Hawke's Bay DHB: first dose (97.3%); second dose (95.7%); boosted (69%)
• Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.5%); second dose (93.2%); boosted (67.4%)
• Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.3%); second dose (94.9%); boosted (72.3%)
• Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.4%); second dose (97.8%); boosted (79.1%)
• Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (96.5%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (74.3%)
• Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.4%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (72.9%)
• West Coast DHB: first dose (92.6%); second dose (91.2%); boosted (70.8%)
• Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.8%); second dose (98.9%); boosted (73.8%)
• South Canterbury DHB: first dose (94.5%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (73.8%)
• Southern DHB: first dose (98.5%); second dose (97.5%); boosted (72.8%)

Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose or 16- and 17-year-olds who have become eligible 6 months after having their second dose.

Hospitalisations

• Cases in hospital: total number 350: Northland: 10; Waitemata: 35; Counties Manukau: 25; Auckland: 62; Waikato: 23; Bay of Plenty: 7; Lakes: 5; Tairāwhiti: 2; Hawke's Bay: 20; Taranaki: 6; Whanganui: 3; MidCentral: 13; Wairarapa: **2; Hutt Valley***: 5; Capital and Coast: 29; Nelson Marlborough: 11; Canterbury: 46; South Canterbury: 11; West Coast: 1; Southern: 34.
• *Average age of current hospitalisations: 59
• Cases in ICU or HDU: 10
• Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (28 cases / 14.0%); partially immunised

* Please note the average age of current hospitalisations is for the Northern Region admissions only at this stage. This data is recorded and extracted from the same source as the vaccination status of patients in Northern Region hospitals.

** Wairarapa DHB has not submitted their hospitalisation numbers, therefore yesterday's numbers are included.

***Yesterday's hospitalisation numbers for Hutt Valley were reported as 34 in error. The correct number was four.

Cases

• Seven day rolling average of community cases: 6,960
• Seven day rolling average (as at same day last week): 8,032
• Number of new community cases: 6,862
• Number of new community cases (PCR): 219
• Number of new community cases (RAT): 6,643
• Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (234), Auckland (2,292), Waikato (505), Bay of Plenty (193), Lakes (104), Hawke's Bay (155), MidCentral (214), Whanganui (79), Taranaki (198), Tairāwhiti (30), Wairarapa (57), Capital and Coast (543), Hutt Valley (203), Nelson Marlborough (283), Canterbury (1,078), South Canterbury (148), Southern (484), West Coast (60), Unknown (2)
• Number of new imported cases: 90
• Number of active community cases (total): 48,706 (cases identified in the past 7 days and not yet classified as recovered) 
• Confirmed cases (total): 1,131,801

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): 3,365
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 14,198
• PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 3,034
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days as of 26 May 2022): 1.2 million.