Covid-19 Omicron outbreak: New Whanganui Covid cases top 400

Three people were being treated for Covid-19 in Whanganui Hospital yesterday. Photo / file

There were 447 new Covid-19 cases in the Whanganui District Health Board region, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

They were spread across Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei districts. A further 177 new cases were in South Taranaki, between Whanganui and the Pātea River.

There are four people in Whanganui Hospital with Covid-19, and a further three who are being treated for the virus, Whanganui District Health Board said.

Nationally there were 17,148 new cases, with 842 people in hospital and 26 of those in intensive care units.

There were 34 Covid-19 related deaths nationally in the previous 24 hours. Of those deaths, 27 were of people more than 70 years old.

Those deaths bring the total number of Covid deaths for New Zealand to 303. There have been none in the Whanganui District Health Board region so far.