Six more people have died with Covid, and there are 4429 new community cases of the virus in New Zealand today, the Ministry of Health says. 

There are also 332 people in hospital with the virus, seven of whom are in intensive care. 

A total of 1461 people have now been publicly reported to have died with Covid-19, and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths remains at 12. 

Three of those who died were from Auckland, two from Canterbury and one from Waikato. One person was aged in their 50s, one in their 60s, two in their 70s and two over 90. Five were men and one was a woman. 

Yesterday, 24 new deaths and 8638 new community cases were reported. 

The figures included Saturday and Friday's figures because of the Matariki public holiday. 

One of the deaths was a person who died in May and other 23 were in June. 

Eighteen of the people who died were in their 80s and 90s, one person was in their 50s, one in their 60s and four in their 70s. 

They brought the total deaths to 1455. 

An average of 12 deaths has been reported every day for the past week. 

There were 8638 new community cases reported for the past two days. The rolling case average was 4737. Last Saturday it was 5154. 

As of Saturday, there were 316 people in hospital with Covid, including four in intensive care. 

Meanwhile the rate of people getting vaccinated has slowed to a trickle, but will shortly increase when medically vulnerable people become eligible for a second booster shot. 

Last week the law was changed to allow people to access booster vaccinations without a prescription. 

Previously people would require a GP prescription to access a second booster. The criteria for eligibility have not yet been published but the booster must be at least six months after the person's first booster shot. 

It's hoped the extra level of protection will help protect those most at risk of severe illness – people who also could be hit hard by other respiratory infections that are sweeping the country over winter. 

Aotearoa is battling a higher than normal level of severe influenza and other respiratory infections which are putting major pressure on hospitals and GPs. 

The Ministry of Health said the rate of hospitalisations because of severe acute respiratory infection (Sari) had been increasing for the past six weeks, and was currently about nine hospitalisations per 100,000 people - more than previous years at this point in the year. 

"ESR advise that it is too early in the season to tell whether the current levels of hospitalisations indicate an early start to the season or the start of a season with particularly high activity."