Covid 19 omicron outbreak: Hawke's Bay has 676 new cases, 30 in hospital

The Ministry of Health has announced 676 new cases of Covid for Hawke's Bay, and 30 people in hospital.

The Ministry of Health has announced 676 new cases of Covid for Hawke's Bay, and 30 people in hospital.

The number of new daily cases nationally has dipped sharply - but officials have reported another nine deaths on Sunday.

There are 12,020 new community cases to report - down from the 18,514 reported on Saturday - but the Ministry of Health warned weekend testing numbers were generally lower.

The Ministry said there was a "steady decline" in case numbers across Auckland while cases in other parts of the country continued to fluctuate. "Case numbers generally decline over the weekend, likely linked to a lower level of testing," it said.

Of the nine people who have died, one was from Capital and Coast, four from Auckland, three from the Bay of Plenty and one from Waikato.

Hawke's Bay recorded its first Covid-related death on Thursday.