Of the people who died, three people were from Auckland; one from Waikato; five from Bay of Plenty; two from Hawke's Bay; one from the Greater Wellington region; one from Nelson-Malborough, five from Canterbury and two from Southern health region.
Twelve of those who died were female, and eight were male.
The latest deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 821.
The seven-day rolling average of reported deaths is 14.
The ministry said today's seven-day rolling average of community case numbers was 7684. Last Thursday it was 7705.
The national breakdown of the 386 people in hospital is Northland: 10; Waitemata: 40; Counties Manukau: 30; Auckland: 78; Waikato: 32; Bay of Plenty: 22; Lakes: 3; Tairāwhiti: 0; Hawke's Bay: 14; Taranaki: 7; Whanganui: 1; MidCentral: 15; Wairarapa: 2; Hutt Valley: 6; Capital and Coast: 10; Nelson Marlborough: 14; Canterbury: 68; South Canterbury: 3; West Coast: 1 and Southern: 30.
The average age of hospital Covid patients is 58.
Across New Zealand, the location of new community cases are Northland (207), Auckland (2,796), Waikato (543), Bay of Plenty (237), Lakes (135), Hawke's Bay (229), MidCentral (347), Whanganui (104), Taranaki (239), Tairāwhiti (68), Wairarapa (88), Capital and Coast (575), Hutt Valley (242), Nelson Marlborough (323), Canterbury (1379), South Canterbury (114), Southern (900), West Coast (76), Unknown (7)
There were 97 new cases identified at the border, said the ministry.
More than 96 per cent of eligible people aged 12 and over had received their first dose, 95.2 per cent had had their second dose and 70.9 per cent had received a booster shot.
On the deaths, the ministry said it was a very sad time for whānau and friends and our thoughts and condolences were with them at this time.
"The number of community cases today is an important reminder that we all continue to have a part to play in minimising the spread of Covid-19 in our communities. Please continue to follow public health advice to stay at home, away from school or work if you're feeling unwell," said the ministry.
It also said vaccination remained the best defence against the infection and a booster – in addition to first and second doses – gave greater immunity against Omicron and severe illness.
There was also a much lower risk of being hospitalised if people were up to date with Covid vaccinations.
Meanwhile, children who are severely immune-compromised are now able to get a third primary dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
This morning the ministry announced primary-aged school children aged 5 to 11 would be in line for a third shot after it was recommended by the Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group.
The ministry said people who were severely immunocompromised were at higher risk of severe outcomes from Covid-19 and might not produce a sufficiently strong immune response after two doses of the vaccine.
"A third primary dose offers extra protection and may help reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus to others," the ministry said.
Because there were specific criteria for children to qualify for a third primary dose, it was recommended that parents or guardians scheduled an appointment with their healthcare professional to confirm eligibility.
"A prescription must also be provided by a GP or nurse practitioner before severely immunocompromised children can be given a third primary dose – with prescriptions able to be taken to any vaccination site," said the ministry.
The third primary dose was to be given eight weeks after the second dose but may be given at a four-week interval depending on immunosuppressive therapies.
A third primary dose was also being offered to severely immunocompromised children in this age group overseas, including in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The ministry said it strongly encouraged that all household contacts of someone who was severely immunocompromised were up to date with their recommended Covid vaccines to help provide indirect protection.
From today, reporting of hospitalisation numbers in Northern region hospitals include only active Covid-19 cases.
To date, reported case numbers in the Northern region have included people who have recovered from Covid-19 but remain in hospital.
The reporting of hospitalisations in other district health boards will remain unchanged as these already only include active cases.
The ministry said the change is part of ensuring consistent reporting of data.
