COVID-19 Response Update

 206 new cases and an update on our response across the motu

Tēnā anō koutou katoa e aku rangatira hauora o te motu.

We are now in the 12th weekend of this latest outbreak and I hope you’re all finding time to recuperate with your whānau and friends. I know the past three months have been difficult – we’ve faced many piki and heke as we continue to fight for the health and well-being of our people. Despite the many challenges, our Māori health providers and kaimahi hauora Māori have remained resolute, dedicated in their mission to protect whānau Māori. Nā reira, I want to thank each of you for the mahi you’ve put in during this time. Heoi anō, our work is not yet done. We still have more to do if we want to ensure our communities stay safe from COVID-19.

The 206 community cases numbers reported today are a reminder of the infectiousness of COVID-19, and particularly the Delta variant, and the importance of vaccination as the number one protection against the virus. So, today, as we mark three weeks since Super Saturday, I want to encourage each of you to keep up the good mahi by reminding your whānau and friends to book in for their first or second dose as soon as possible. There are some great events on around the motu such as Auckland’s GotYaDot vaccine event at Eden Park and the Ethkick event targeting ethnic communities in the Bay of Plenty today. Please share these events with your networks so as many people as possible know about them and can attend. I’m hoping the extra push over this weekend will bring us even closer to reaching our target of getting 90% of all eligible people in each DHB fully vaccinated. Kia kaha tonu tātou katoa.  

206 new community cases in Aotearoa

• There are a total of 206 new community cases to report in Aotearoa today. This is the highest daily toll in Aotearoa since the pandemic began. Of these, 200 are in Tāmaki Makaurau, four are in Waikato, and two are in Te Tai Tokerau.

• This brings the total number of cases associated with this outbreak to 4,240. Since the outbreak started 1,755 people have recovered giving us an active total of 2,485.    

• Of today’s 206 new cases, 47 have already been linked and 159 remain unlinked with investigations ongoing.  

• There is also a total of 73 people in hospital with COVID-19. Seven of these people are in either ICU or HDU.

Positive waste-water detections in Stratford, Gisborne, and Napier
 

• Following the positive waste-water detections in Stratford, Gisborne and Napier, further samples will be collected over the next few days with results expected next week.

• At this stage, the detections are not linked to any known cases of COVID-19 which could indicate that there are undetected cases in these communities.

• We are asking our whānau with any symptoms in these places – no matter how mild – to get tested, especially anyone who has travelled outside of these regions recently.  

• Testing is available at the following locations this weekend:

• Stratford: The War Memorial car park, 55 Miranda Street (10am to 2pm)

• Gisborne: 110 Peel Street (9am to 5pm)

• Napier: 30 Munroe Street (9am-5pm)

• If you live in Stratford, Gisborne or Napier and haven’t been vaccinated, today is a good opportunity to do so. For a full list of testing and vaccination centres, see the Healthpoint website.

• For whānau who attended a tangihanga in Porirua this week

  • Wellington Regional Public Health are encouraging all our whānau who attended a tangihanga in Porirua on Wednesday this week to get tested for COVID-19.

  • Their assessment is that the risks to wider public are low following reports of a person who had tested positive in Tāmaki Makaurau last month and who travelled from Tāmaki Makaurau to Porirua. They are assessed as unlikely to have been infectious as they travelled at the very end of their 14-day quarantine period.

  • However, in the absence of fuller information, they are recommending those linked with the tangihanga to be tested, particularly if they have symptoms.

  • The Ministry of Health is seeking more information to provide further reassurance that the case was not an infection risk while visiting the area. I’ll make sure to keep you updated via this pānui as new information arises.

  
  Four new cases in Waikato

  • There were four new cases confirmed in Waikato overnight, all from Kirikiriroa. Two were known contacts already in isolation and Public Health is investigating links for the other two cases.

  • One COVID-19 patient who had been staying at Waikato Hospital was discharged yesterday. Two new patients were admitted overnight. This change will be reflected in tomorrow’s figures.

  • Today there are eight pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating across Kirikiriroa, Huntly, Ōtorohanga, Te Awamutu, Te Kuiti, and Thames. We are encouraging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms to seek a test.

  
  Two new cases in Te Tai Tokerau

• There are two new community cases confirmed in Te Tai Tokerau, taking the total number of cases in the region to 17. They are both close contacts of cases in Kaitaia and have been isolating at home.

• Today there are six community testing centres and nine vaccination clinics available across the rohe.

• We are continuing to encourage whānau who live in or around Taipa, Kaingaroa, Awanui and Kaitaia and have had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last couple of weeks, to get tested as soon as possible. Testing centre locations can be found on the Northland DHB website.

• Please remind your friends and whānau to get information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Health website, 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 Māorihealth@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