Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Latest Ministry of Health update as new cases fall, deaths, ICU rates rise

The Ministry of Health says there are 7627 new community cases today, 827 people are in hospital with the virus, including 24 in intensive care.

Health authorities have reported a further 38 Covid-related deaths.

One of these, one person was from Northland, eight were from Auckland region, four were from Waikato, eight were from Hawke's Bay, one was from MidCentral, one was from Whanganui, three were from Wellington region, two were from Nelson Marlborough, two were from Canterbury, two were from South Canterbury and six were from the Southern region.

Of the people whose deaths were reported today, one person was in their 40s, three were in their 50s, two were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, 15 were in their 80s and 12 were aged over 90. Sixteen were women and 22 were men.

There are now a total of 1,455 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor.  The seven-day rolling average of the increase in deaths is now 18.

There are presently 54,409 active Covid cases in New Zealand. Of the new cases, 312 people had recently travelled overseas.

The seven-day rolling average of community cases is now 7,776 down from 9,161 at the same time last week.

The seven-day rolling average for hospitalisations is rising, going from 766 people a week ago to 790 today.

The breakdown of Covid cases in hospital across New Zealand is: Northland: 18; Waitematā: 126; Counties Manukau: 55; Auckland: 100; Waikato: 88; Bay of Plenty: 34; Lakes: 19; Hawke's Bay: 43; MidCentral: 56; Whanganui: 15; Taranaki: 15; Tairāwhiti: 4; Wairarapa: 11; Capital and Coast: 25; Hutt Valley: 15; Nelson Marlborough: 17; Canterbury: 127; West Coast: 1; South Canterbury: 14; Southern: 44.

The average age of people in hospital with Covid is 65 years.

In its weekly winter illness update, the ministry said of 81 people in Auckland and Counties Manukau hospitals with severe acute respiratory infection Covid was the cause for seven per cent of the infection, human metapneumovirus was the cause for 17 per cent and influenza was the cause for one per cent.

A range of other winter viruses made up the remaining six per cent.

The ministry said the current rate of hospitalisations in Auckland and Counties Manukau was in line with rates seen in pre-Covid years.

Over 100 people have died from Covid in the past three days as this week shapes up to be the deadliest of the pandemic to date.

Health officials are warning the situation is not likely to ease for months and that the Covid death toll will continue to climb.

It comes as outgoing director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield gave his final Covid-19 update yesterday, saying that the worst-case scenario outlined by modellers at the start of the wave was now "highly unlikely".

"What is apparent is that the worst-case scenario that our modellers had suggested a couple of weeks ago - with up to 1200 beds occupied, and over 20,000 cases a day - is now highly unlikely," Bloomfield said.

Although hospitalisation figures could reach 1000 occupied beds, the new modelling showed the country moving closer to a peak of about 850 – a point nearly reached last weekend.

But he warned we would keep seeing significant Covid deaths until cases dropped.

People who were not fully vaccinated were six times more likely to die from Covid, Bloomfield said, adding that getting boosted was vital.

Half of the Covid-related deaths of people between the ages of 20 and 60 could have been avoided if they were boosted, he said.

Middlemore Hospital chief executive Pete Watson said authorities worked hard to address the increased pressure on hospitals due to Covid and other winter illnesses. He expected that pressure to continue across the country for months.

Experts now believe New Zealand's first Omicron wave may have left the population with more immunity than first thought.

It was also possible the level of infection across the country during the first wave may have been higher than suspected.

BA.5 now makes up 61 per cent of the country's Covid cases. Health officials expect the variant will fully take over all other strains in the community by the end of August.