Source: Covid-19 New Zealand Government Announcements
Update from the Ministry of Health
Today we are reporting 10,424 community cases, 788 current hospitalisations, and 21 deaths.
The 7-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 9,528.
Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 21 people with COVID-19. They include 1 death from April and 1 death 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 our 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. In 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 are heading out to pick up free RATs and face masks, please check the Healthpoint website (external link) 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 (external link).
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 (external link), and flu vaccinations, which are free for many people (external link).
Omicron subvariant BA.2.75
Today we are reporting 2 community cases in Auckland with the Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant, the first time this subvariant has been detected in the community in New Zealand. Both cases are linked to known imported cases and are isolating at home.
This is in addition to the 6 BA.2.75 reported cases previously reported, which are all associated with recent travel overseas.
The Ministry of Health regularly assesses the latest evidence on variants to ensure that our public health settings are appropriate. At this stage, there is no evidence that BA.2.75 requires a shift in public health settings already in place to manage other Omicron variants.
BA.2.75 is a recently identified second-generation subvariant of BA.2, the dominant variant circulating in New Zealand at this stage. BA.2.75 has only been recently identified as distinct from BA.2, and evidence on its transmissibility, immune evasiveness and severity is still preliminary and emerging.
We do know BA.2.75 has some characteristics that look like they may enhance its ability to evade immunity, similar to the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, and there is some early evidence overseas that it may be slightly more transmissible than BA.2. There is no current evidence that it leads to more severe disease, although assessing the evidence is at a very early stage.
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.
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 of Health 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.
If you have cold and flu symptoms, it is 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.
Read the full update on today’s cases | Ministry of Health (external link)
