Ambulances come and go from Middlemore Hospital emergency department. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Ambulances come and go from Middlemore Hospital emergency department. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Even if you haven't been off sick recently, you've probably felt the effects the surge in Covid-19 and influenza infections have had on the health system, your favourite cafe or even the local supermarket.
Our daily case numbers have been climbing steadily in the past few weeks, after getting aslow as 4000, they are now hitting 11,000. And a further 29 virus-related deaths were reported by health authorities.
We're very much in the midst of what experts are now calling New Zealand's "second wave", and discussions are again being had about how to flatten the curve as wastewater testing shows an underreporting of cases.
In this week's episode of In the Loop, journalists Cheree Kinnear and Katie Harris look at the latest Government measures that have been announced to help combat the wave of illness.
The Government announced on Thursday the eligibility criteria for free RATs will be removed - so anybody could get free RATs.
As well as this, free masks will be provided with RATs at all collection sites and the Government will provide 10 million child-size masks available for year 4-7 students and up to 30,000 masks a week for all other students and school staff.
Later in the show, the pair discuss the Government's latest gang policies, the Uber files and the supermarket that will soon be gracing our shores.
