Record 243 new Covid-19 community cases on Saturday

By 1news.co.nz and is republished with permission

There are a record 243 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand on Saturday, the Ministry of Health has announced.

The previous record was 222 community cases in November 2021.

The cases are in Northland (21), Auckland (165), Waikato (34), Lakes (1), Bay of Plenty, (8) Tairāwhiti (2), Hawke’s Bay (6), Whanganui (1), and Wellington (2), plus three cases in Nelson Marlborough which were announced by the ministry on Friday.

Of that number, 10 are in hospital, including one in the high dependency or intensive care unit.

Fifteen of the 34 Waikato cases are linked to previously reported cases, while the remaining 19 are under investigation for links to previously reported cases, the Health Ministry said.

The two Wellington cases are both under investigation for links to previously reported cases. One case is isolating at home and the other in managed accommodation.

A Wellington-Auckland Jetstar flight on Saturday, January 29 from 7.59am to 8.59am was added to the Ministry of Health’s website on Friday as a location of interest.

Anyone who was seated in rows three to seven are considered close contacts and have been advised to self-isolate and get tested immediately and on day five after the exposure. Further isolation and testing requirements will be provided by Public Health.

“The continued increase in cases today is a reminder that, as expected, the Omicron variant is spreading in our communities as we have seen in other countries,” the ministry said.

“We can all play our part to slow the spread of the virus, help protect our most vulnerable people from being infected, and ensure our health system is able to manage extra demand for services.

“This means continuing to do the basics well – staying home if unwell, and wearing a mask, physical distancing and scanning in using the NZ COVID Tracer app when you’re out and about.”

There were 21,471 tests administered over the last 24 hours, bringing the seven-day rolling average to 19,600. In Auckland, 9687 tests were carried out.

Meanwhile, Friday was a record day for boosters with 66,864 booster doses administered, “taking the total so far to more than 1.5 million”, the ministry said.

In addition, there are 23 new Covid-19 cases to announce at the border.

The cases arrived in the country from Singapore, Australia, the UK, India, Egypt, Lebanon, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates, where they tested positive on day zero to nine testing.

There are no unexpected wastewater detections to report, the Health Ministry said.

There were 209 Covid-19 cases recorded in the community on Friday