Source: Covid-19 New Zealand Government Announcements
Update from the Ministry of Health
Since Friday, 10.8 million Rapid Antigen Tests have arrived in the country. This follows 5.2 million that landed on Thursday.
These new RATs will flow through the supply chain and into Community Testing Centres, GPs, pharmacies and businesses where they can be accessed by anyone who needs one.
The wide-ranging and disruptive impact of COVID-19 on the domestic freight and courier networks has had an impact on distribution and delivery times for RATs in some areas.
We are working hard to ensure there is supply in all communities, including those in remote areas.
From today, the Ministry of Health will report the number of RATs dispatched from its central warehouse, instead of the overall volume (as previously reported), in the daily COVID-19 media statement.
Vaccination and COVID-19 hospitalisations
As the number of COVID-19 cases increases, we are continuing to see a disproportionate number of unvaccinated cases requiring hospital care.
Just 3% of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand have had no doses of the vaccine, however, of the eligible people in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19, 12% have had no doses of the vaccine.
Even this early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, unvaccinated people are four times over-represented in the current hospitalisation data.
The numbers send a clear message: getting vaccinated will help to keep you out of hospital if you catch COVID-19, and could save your life.
We know getting a booster dose provides a high level of protection against Omicron. With Omicron spreading quickly, we’re continuing to encourage every remaining eligible person to get boosted as soon as possible.
If you had your second vaccination at least 3 months ago and you’re 18 and over, you can book online at www.BookMyVaccine.nz (external link) or visit a walk-in or drive-thru vaccination clinic. For a list of vaccinations centres visit Healthpoint (external link).
Read the full update on today’s cases | health.govt.nz (external link)
