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13 Covid-related deaths, 6369 cases in the community

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Sat, 28 May 2022, 1:08PM
(Photo / NZ Herald)
(Photo / NZ Herald)

13 Covid-related deaths, 6369 cases in the community

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Sat, 28 May 2022, 1:08PM

There are 6,369 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

The Ministry of Health reported a further 13 Covid-related deaths.

There are 362 people in hospital with the virus, including 6 in intensive care.

There were 6862 new community cases of Covid-19 reported yesterday. The seven-day rolling average of 6960 was down just over 1000 from a week earlier. Ninety additional cases were detected at the border.

Twenty-five deaths linked to the virus were also reported yesterday, including one person in their 30s and three in their 40s.

The deaths take New Zealand's Covid death toll to 1127, among 6.28 million worldwide since the pandemic began in early 2020.

Others continue to fight infection in the care of medical staff, with 350 people in New Zealand hospitals with the virus yesterday, including 10 in intensive care.

The vulnerability of some Kiwis to serious outcomes from Covid-19 infection prompted a move to offer a fourth vaccination to those most at risk.

The jab, which follows the initial recommended three-dose regime, could be give six months after the recipient's previous booster, the Ministry of Health's vaccination advisory group told Hipkins.

Older people, aged-care facility residents, disability care residents aged 16 and over, and severely immunocompromised people aged 16 and over could be eligible.

More than 95 per cent of Kiwis aged over 12 have had two doses of the vaccine, and just over 70 per cent have also received their booster, but child rates remain low, with just over a quarter of 5 to 11s double-dosed.

Those aged under 16 can't receive a booster.

This week Omicron sub-variants with increased transmissibility, but not thought to cause more serious illness, were also detected in the community.

While most recently sequenced cases in New Zealand continued to be of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant, the first community case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 was discovered in Hawke's Bay this week, health officials said.

The case, which had no clear link to the border, was from a test result returned earlier this month.

Meanwhile, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield this week joined more than 528 million others around the world since early 2020 to test positive for Covid-19.

The health boss became unwell while in Switzerland for the World Health Assembly.

He has mild symptoms and is self-isolating in Geneva.

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