Covid-19 Omicron update: 16 cases in Whanganui Hospital, highest amount of the pandemic thus far

There were 16 people in Whanganui Hospital with Covid-19 this Monday, the highest amount of the pandemic so far. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui Hospital has had its highest number of patients with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic and while it is coping, the region's health chief says 'things are tight'.

The Ministry of Health announced 16 people were in Whanganui Hospital in its daily update today.

There were also 126 new community cases of the virus in the region.

The interim district director at Te Whatu Ora Whanganui, Andrew Mackinnon, said this was the highest number of Covid-19 cases they had yet had to manage at the hospital.

"The hospital is coping, but things are tight."

There were also high numbers of patients in hospital with influenza and other respiratory viruses, which was hampering staff numbers.

"Our staff have been suffering from illnesses in their own right, as well looking after children and the closure of schools and early childhood facilities haven't helped to keep staffing going," Mackinnon said.

Because of this some nurses who usually work in non-clinical facing roles outside of the wards have been doing shifts caring for patients.

Mackinnon said the hospital hadn't needed to stop planned care and surgeries as of yet.

Mackinnon said stopping surgery and diverting those staff members to work in the wards would be the hospital's last resort, but staffing issues were not bad enough yet to warrant those measures.

Nationally, the ministry reported 8395 community cases today.

Throughout the country, there were 689 people in hospital with Covid-19.

The deaths of 17 people with Covid-19 were reported by the ministry.