There are 90 cases of Covid-19 in the community today. 

There are 74 people in hospital - six of which are in ICU. 

There are new cases in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes and Nelson-Tasman. 

A border-related case remains under investigation in the Southern DHB area. 

There are 71 new cases being reported in Auckland. 

A staff member at Ellerslie Gardens Aged Residential Care facility in Auckland has tested positive for Covid-19. 

Auckland Regional Public Health Service and Auckland DHB staff are supporting the residents and staff at the privately-owned facility. 

Testing is being undertaken with residents and staff as part of the outbreak management plan. 

The number of daily Covid community cases has seen a positive trend happening - with case numbers dropping to just under the 100 mark for the first time in several weeks. 

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said it was a positive sign that increased vaccination rates among the population is working. 

However, with the traffic light system only kicking off less than a week ago, we could still potentially see a jump in cases by the weekend or early next week due to the relaxed restrictions in Auckland in particular. 

"The settings of alert level three was working well," he said. 

"I think we would expect to see cases go up with the traffic light system because there is a lot more mixing going on." 

Baker described "our biggest risk" as private gatherings and parties that included people who were not vaccinated. 

Such parties could be particularly difficult to contain during the festive season. 

In yesterday's figures a total of 25 infected patients had been admitted to Auckland City Hospital, 22 at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland, 14 at North Shore Hospital and two people are in Waikato Hospital. 

One person is at Tauranga Hospital and another at Nelson Hospital. 

Of those people hospitalised, seven patients are fighting Covid in an intensive care unit - two at Auckland City Hospital, three in Middlemore and one patient each in ICUs in North Shore and Waikato hospitals. 

The average age of people in hospital with Covid is 53. 

The Ministry of Health also confirmed that the Southern District Health Board was now the fifth DHB in the country to report a 90 per cent full vaccination coverage among residents in the region. 

Health officials called it a "key milestone" that was reached early yesterday morning. 

"To date, 93 per cent of eligible people in New Zealand have had their first dose and 88 per cent are fully vaccinated," a statement said.