NZ coming out of fifth Covid wave

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Fourteen Covid-19 deaths were recorded by Health NZ Te Whatu Ora last week, and none were in Gisborne, as the country comes out of the fifth wave of the virus.

Health NZ reported there were 33 active cases in Gisborne as at midnight on Sunday.

There has been a total of 26,697 Gisborne cases including 44 deaths over the past four years.

Across the country there have been 2,621,111 cases including 3923 deaths.

A total of 168 Covid patients were in hospital in New Zealand on Sunday night.

Of the 14 deaths reported, one was from Northland, six from Auckland, three from Canterbury, one from West Coast and three were from Otago-Southland.

One was in their 60s, four were in their 70s, seven were in their 80s and two were aged over 90.

Of these people, eight were women and six were men.

There has been a small rise in the number of people getting Covid-19 vaccines since the newest one arrived in February.

The most recent Pfizer formulation is designed to combat the latest Omicron variants.

Health NZ figures show just over 14,000 people were vaccinated in the week ending March 15.

Most of them — 11,000 — were people getting their third or subsequent booster.

Experts think long Covid is still a concern.

Fatigue and brain fog were found to be the most common effects. But others could be life-altering, like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and a whole range of neurological effects.

Teaching is the most vulnerable occupation, according to an Otago University study.