Of the 12 people whose deaths we are reporting today: two were from the Auckland region, two were from Waikato, one was from MidCentral, one was from the Wellington region, two were from Nelson Marlborough, three were from Canterbury, one was from South Canterbury.
Two were in their 50s, one was in their 60s, three were in their 70s, two were in their 80s and four were aged over 90. Of these people, ten were women and two were men.
There are now a total of 1941 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor.
The seven-day rolling average of deaths is five.
There are 11,158 active cases in the community, of today's cases, 89 have recently travelled overseas.
The seven-day rolling average of hospitalisations is 259, last Thursday it was 319.
Those is hospital are in Northland: 2; Waitematā: 53; Counties Manukau: 41; Auckland: 42; Waikato: 26; Bay of Plenty: 1; Lakes: 4; Hawke's Bay: 1; MidCentral: 7; Whanganui: 2; Taranaki: 0; Tairawhiti: 0; Wairarapa: 3; Capital & Coast: 12; Hutt Valley: 10; Nelson Marlborough: 3; Canterbury: 37; West Coast: 2; South Canterbury: 3; Southern: 5.
The average age of those in hospital with the virus is 60.
Of those in hospital, 33 are unvaccinated or not eligible, four cases are partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose, 50 are double vaccinated at least seven days before being reported as a case, 198 have received booster at least seven days before being reported as a case.
In the past 24 hours, 2979 PCR tests and 6735 rapid antigen tests have been processed.
In the week ending on Sunday, September 4, 72 people were in Auckland and Counties Manukau hospitals with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Of these, 55 were children under five.
Ministry of Health deputy director-general Dr Andrew Old said in a press conference on Wednesday that the seven-day rolling average of cases continues to drop, down 27 per cent from a week ago, and hospitalisations are down 29 per cent.
The latest evidence shows "real and sustained evidence of Covid-19 declining in our community," he said.
The number of deaths for people with Covid-19 was also declining, Old said.
"Although those trends are really encouraging it's important to remember that every death related to Covid-19 is heartbreaking," Old said.
Meanwhile, the Government will decide on Monday whether to scrap the whole traffic light system and other Covid-19 orders.
Getting rid of the system would mean the remaining restrictions such as mask mandates.
If it goes ahead, it would come into effect as soon as next Wednesday – when the main legal instrument under which the Covid-19 orders are issued will expire if Cabinet decides not to renew it.
That Epidemic Preparedness (Covid-19) Notice 2020 is one of the over-arching legal instruments under which the Government and health authorities have exercised special powers in the Covid-19 response: including the traffic light system. If not renewed, all orders associated with it will also lapse.
The notice has been renewed every three months since it was put in place in March 2020 and requires the Prime Minister to state she is satisfied the effects of the outbreak are likely to continue to disrupt essential governmental and business activity in New Zealand "significantly".
That decision is based on consultation with the Minister of Health and the director-general of health. It is understood Cabinet was still getting some advice from health officials, but the recommendation to Cabinet is that it could end.
