There are 139 Covid cases in the community today - with 64 people in hospital. 

The ministry says there are 136 new cases in Auckland, two in Waikato and one in Northland. 

The latest Northland case means there are now 15 people in that region with Covid. 

The sudden death of a 40-year-old man with Covid-19 who had been isolating at home has been referred to the Coroner who will determine whether it was coronavirus-related. 

"There has been speculation this death was vaccine-related but we can confirm it was not," officials said in this afternoon's Covid update. 

The Northern Region Health Coordination Centre and the ministry will review the public health and clinical oversight of the person, with independent input, the ministry said. 

The new community case in Northland is a close contact of the two previously reported Taipa cases and has been isolating at home, officials say. 

The ministry urges all those living in and around Taipa, Kaingaora, Awanui and Kaitaia who had symptoms in the past fortnight to get tested as soon as possible. 

The two new cases from Hamilton have links with previous people with the infection. 

There are no new cases in Canterbury, with just four people in quarantine. 

Results from two wastewater samples taken in Christchurch on Monday showed no unexpected detection of Covid-19. 

The ministry said a person in MIQ who arrived from Tuvalu on October 20 had transited through Fiji before landing in Auckland. 

They tested positive on day 11 of their stay in managed isolation. 

Initial investigations determined there were no close contacts of this case among staff members or other returnees at the MIQ facility. 

Further investigations were under way to ascertain the potential source, said the ministry. 

Daily cases have not dropped below 100 since last Friday, with new cases detected in the community ballooning to 816. 

The single worst day was on Monday, when a record-setting 162 cases were reported, just two days after the previous largest daily count that saw 160 people infected with Covid. 

It comes as new information on how a South Auckland person who tested positive for Covid-19 at Labour Weekend and found dead at home yesterday is expected to be revealed. 

Health officials were working with police after a family member discovered the person, who tested positive for Covid on October 24 and nearing the end of their period in quarantine at home, died alone inside their Manukau property. 

Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said more information would be released at 1pm. 

There are currently 2017 people infected with Covid across New Zealand. The majority are in Auckland and undertaking quarantine in their home. 

Yesterday there were 100 new cases. All but three were in Auckland with the outstanding cases in Waikato where relaxed alert level settings come into force enabling shops to reopen. 

Meanwhile, there were no new infections reported in Christchurch and Northland which saw the northern end of the region plunged into a six-day snap lockdown on Tuesday night. 

The two mystery cases in the Far North continue to cause concern across the region and perplex officials. 

Ministry officials were waiting word on results of the two cases, one of which was expected last night and the other today to see if they can determine links to other cases. 

Health officials yesterday said there were 58 people in hospital, including three people in ICU. 

The outbreak at a West Auckland rest home continued to grow with 15 residents and four staff members of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in Henderson now returning positive tests. 

Three of the sickest residents were receiving appropriate ward-level care at North Shore Hospital. 

Meanwhile in Waikato, two of the latest cases were from Hamilton and one was from Ōtorohanga. Two were known contacts and already in isolation. 

Christchurch yesterday remained on four active cases, with no new cases emerging in the Garden City. 

Test results from additional wastewater samples collected in Christchurch were expected last night. 

Bloomfield said there was an epidemiological link in the South Island outbreak and "there have been no other cases arise from those cases, so the feeling is they have been contained". 

This contrasted with the country's biggest city: "One of the realities of Auckland is almost everywhere is a suburb of interest right now." 

Yesterday, a West Auckland school closed after a student who had been in class this week tested positive for Covid-19. 

Liston College confirmed a student tested positive for Covid-19 and was infectious at school on Monday. 

The school's Board of Trustees has closed the school till Monday November 8. 

Since senior students returned to school this term at least two other Auckland secondary schools have had to temporarily close after staff or students became infected with the virus. 

This morning the director-general of health told The AM Show health officials had advised the Government that it was safe for primary children in alert level 3 regions to return to school in just over a week's time. 

The Government yesterday also announced it had signed a purchase agreement for an additional 4.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. 

They would be available throughout next year and be used for children aged between 5 and 11 years and in a booster programme, among other things, Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins revealed.