The Ministry of Health is today reporting 7612 new community cases of Covid-19, 797 current hospitalisations, and 22 deaths. There are 20 people in ICU with Covid-19.

There are 363 new cases that have recently travelled overseas. In Bay of Plenty hospitals there are 43 people with Covid-19 and 19 in Lakes hospitals.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 9689.

'Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 22 people with Covid-19,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

'They include one death from March, two deaths from April, two deaths from May and two deaths from June, which are being reported following completion of the cause of death assessment. In some instances it can take some time for the full clinical assessments to be finalised.”

The Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ are closely monitoring the continued increase in Covid-19 positive cases and hospitalisations as part of their ongoing review and updating of the response to the current community outbreak.

'The case, death and hospitalisation numbers emphasise the importance of everybody doing the basics well to help prevent infection and serious illness,' says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

'IIn particular, people should stay home if they are unwell, take a rapid antigen test (RAT) and upload the result on My Covid Record, and isolate if positive or while still symptomatic.

'If you're heading out to pick up free RATs and masks, please check the Healthpoint website to find your nearest participating pharmacy – as not all pharmacies are providing this service. People can also continue to request free COVID-19 RATs kits online,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

'It is important to ensure you are up to date with all vaccinations, including COVID-19 vaccinations. Many people are now eligible for a second booster dose, and flu vaccinations, which are free for many people.”

Hygiene basics help stop the spread of winter illness

'We want to remind people to keep up good public health habits to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and winter illnesses such as the flu,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

'Simple measures can make a big difference, so we encourage people to wear a mask, physically distance, wash or sanitise your hands regularly, and stay home if you are unwell.”

Wearing a mask remains one of the best measures to reduce transmission of infectious respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

As a general rule, the Ministry urges people to wear a mask in public indoor settings outside the home and in poorly ventilated spaces, or when it is hard to physically distance from other people.

'You must wear a mask on public transport and at transport hubs like airports and bus stations, inside public venues like museums and libraries, when visiting a health care service, and inside retail businesses like supermarkets and shopping malls,” says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

'If you have cold and flu symptoms, it's important to get tested for Covid-19 and self-report the result – whether positive or negative – on My Covid Record. This helps us to understand the spread of Covid-19 and where to direct our public health resources.”

Covid-19 hospitalisations

• Covid-19 Cases in hospital: total number 797: Northland: 27; Waitematā: 135; Counties Manukau: 54; Auckland: 91; Waikato: 64; Bay of Plenty: 43; Lakes: 19; Hawke's Bay: 32; MidCentral: 31; Whanganui: 20; Taranaki: 13; Tairawhiti: 6; Wairarapa: 7; Capital & Coast/Hutt: 55; Nelson Marlborough: 13; Canterbury/West Coast: 138; South Canterbury: 10; Southern: 39.
• Weekly Covid-19 hospitalisations - 7 day rolling average: 753 (This time last week 582)
• Average age of current COVID-19 hospitalisations: 64
• Cases in ICU or HDU: 20
• Vaccination status of new admissions to hospital*: Unvaccinated or not eligible (53 cases); partially immunised

*These are new hospital admissions in the past 7 days prior to yesterday who had COVID at the time of admission or while in hospital, excluding hospitalisations that were admitted and discharged within 24hrs. This data is from Districts with tertiary hospitals: Auckland, Canterbury, Southern, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Capital & Coast, Waitemata and Northland.

Covid-19 vaccinations administered

• Vaccines administered to date: 4,028,928 first doses; 3,981,590 second doses; 33,674 third primary doses; 2,695,255 first booster doses: 177,670 second booster doses: 265,188 paediatric first doses and 140,474 paediatric second doses
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 8 first doses; 12 second doses; 0 third primary doses; 412 first booster doses; 1,819 second booster doses; 35 paediatric first doses and 159 paediatric second doses

More detailed information, including vaccine uptake by District, is available on the Ministry website.

Tests

• Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours) 2,239
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests reported total (last 24 hours): 11,831
• PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days): 3,314
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last seven days as of 17 July 2022): 4 million

COVID-19 cases

• Total number of new community cases: 7,612
• Number of new cases that have recently travelled overseas: 363
• Seven day rolling average of community cases: 9,689
• Seven day rolling average of community cases (as at same day last week): 9,281
• Number of active cases (total): 67,774 (cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered)
• Confirmed cases (total): 1,498,402
• Location of new community cases by district over past 24 hours

You can also view a detailed breakdown of daily case numbers for each district since the beginning of the pandemic by clicking the ‘download' button on the right hand side of this page: New Zealand COVID-19 data.

Please note, the Ministry of Health's daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a district 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 takes the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 1,849 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 23.

Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today: five were from Auckland region, two were from Waikato, one was from Bay of Plenty, three were from MidCentral, one was from Whanganui, four were from Wellington region, six were from Canterbury/West Coast.

Five were in their 60s, two were in their 70s, seven were in their 80s and eight were aged over 90. Of these people, nine were women and 13 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 today's reported deaths.