COVID-19 Response Update
- Over 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered throughout the motu
Kei ngā ringa atawhai o te motu, koutou e manaaki ana i te iwi Māori, tēnā rā koutou katoa.
Tuatahi ake, I want to echo our Director-Generals mihi to all the kaimahi hauora in Tāmaki Makaurau who have working hard to support our whānau throughout Alert Level 4. I know this latest outbreak has been incredibly difficult, many of you have had to juggle whānau commitments while also working on the frontline. Kia mōhio mai, this doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you so much for all you’ve done and continue to do for our people.
Today, Cabinet met to consider the Alert Level 1 settings and what those might look for whānau. They’ve decided to keep Alert Level 1 the same and that’s because it’s always been for an environment where there is no risk of community transmission. However, while Tāmaki Makaurau is in higher Alert Levels, we’ll need to maintain a higher level of preparedness across the motu. We’ve see this already with the current Alert Level 2 settings which are stricter than what we’ve previously experienced. As Tāmaki Makaurau comes down in Alert Levels, the settings we experience across the rest of the country will be slightly eased. While final decisions will be made by Cabinet on Monday, I wanted to give you an update on the current thinking. I’ll also keep you updated as I find out more information.
13 new community cases in Aotearoa
- There are 13 new cases of COVID-19 in the community today. All of these are in the Tāmaki Makaurau region. This brings the total number of community cases associated with this outbreak to 996, with 979 in Tāmaki Makaurau and 17 in Pōneke.
- Of these cases, 460 are now deemed to have recovered, which is great news. This gives us an active total of 536.
- As of late this morning, all but one of today’s community cases have been linked to known cases, with most being household contacts.
- The remaining case is being interviewed today. This case presented to Middlemore Hospital without any COVID symptoms but was swabbed as a part of the wider testing they’re now undertaking at the hospital.
- Another of the new cases today is a truck driver who travelled across the Tāmaki Makaurau boundary as part of their work to make deliveries. This driver is being interviewed by the Auckland Regional Public Health Unit to determine whether there are any locations of interest, and if there are, these will be uploaded to the Ministry of Health website.
- The total number of cases that remain unlinked is 30, that’s a small decrease from yesterday. We will keep working with our public health units to investigate any unlinked cases and as this mahi continues, the total number of unlinked cases will fall.
- There are 19 people in hospital across Tāmaki Makaurau today. Four of those are in ICU and they require ventilation. Kei te whakaaro tonu ahau ki ēnei tūroro me ō rātou whānau e noho pōuri ana.
Over 17,000 tests processed yesterday
- Yesterday, there were 17,578 swabs processed around the motu. Of these, more than 9100 swabs were taken across Tāmaki Makaurau, which includes nearly 2500 tests of people from the seven suburbs of interest. In addition, around 2300 essential workers were swabbed.
- Again, I want to mihi to the whānau in those suburbs of interest for getting tested this week.
- The truck driver mentioned earlier was tested after isolating as a household contact of another case. This emphasises the importance of our approach to testing people travelling across the Tāmaki Makaurau boundary.
- Kia mōhio mai, after 11.59pm this evening, all permitted workers who cross the Alert Level boundaries must be able to show proof they’ve had a test in the past seven days. This is in addition to the evidence they need to show they’re permitted to cross the boundary.
- As this is surveillance testing, permitted workers who have these tests are not required to isolate or stand-down while waiting a test result.
- Police will begin checking for this from midnight tonight, and those who are unable to provide the necessary evidence will be turned back.
- The main message today remains the same, if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, especially if you live in Tāmaki Makaurau, please call Healthline or your GP and ask about getting a test.
A new milestone in our COVID-19 vaccination rollout
- Today, we hit another milestone in our rollout with three million doses delivered nationwide. This represents 70% of our eligible population which is great news. Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has helped get us there.
- Yesterday, 62,782 vaccines were administered across Aotearoa. Of these, 39,775 were first doses and 23,007 were second doses.
- For the Māori roll-out, 278,614 Māori have received one dose of the vaccination and 133,830 have received their second and are fully vaccinated. This means 48% of Māori have had one dose, and over 23% have had their second.
- Vaccinations are incredibly helpful in fighting the current outbreak and future outbreaks. Nā reira, please continue to encourage your friends and whānau (aged 12 and over) to book in for their vaccinations as soon as possible. It’s safe and it’s free. They can do this online or by calling 0800 28 29 26.
- If you’re looking for a vaccine centre near you, check out Karawhiua.nz or the Healthpoint website.
Three vaccine buses launched today in Tāmaki Makaurau
- This morning, the first of our mobile vaccine buses were launched in Tāmaki Makaurau before heading out to parts of the city where vaccination numbers have been lower, or where people haven’t been able to access centres easily.
- Three pahi were launched with one heading to the supermarkets along Lincoln Road in West Tāmaki Makaurau, one based at the Pukekohe Countdown, and another at the Papakura train station.
- Another three pahi are being prepared today and will be deployed this week.
- We’ll be looking to build up the fleet even further over the next week to take full advantage of the twelve vehicles being provided.
- I want to mihi to our Māori and Pacific providers who are working closely with us to decide the best locations to send the pahi. Aku mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
- Please remind your friends and whānau to get information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Healthwebsite, Unite Against COVID channels, Karawhiua channels, and the Te Puni Kōkiri ‘COVID-19 Information for Māori’ portal.
For guidance on protecting yourself and your whānau from COVID-19 misinformation and scams, please visit the Unite Against COVID website.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or my team at maorihealth@health.govt.nz
Mā te Atua tātou e manaaki i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā,
Nāhaku me aku mihi aroha,
Nā
John Whaanga
Deputy Director-General | Māori Health Directorate
Waea pūkoro: 021 578 040 | Īmēra: John.Whaanga@health.govt.nz
Mana Ake