8 Dec 2021

Covid-19 update: 90 new community cases in NZ today

1:32 pm on 8 December 2021

There are 90 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, the Ministry of Health has reported.

This photo taken on August 13, 2021 shows a laboratory technician wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) working on samples to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a Covid-19 testing facility in Yangzhou in China's eastern Jiangsu province.

Photo: AFP

In a statement, the ministry said the new cases included three in Northland, 71 in Auckland, nine in Waikato, five Bay of Plenty, one in Rotorua and one in the Nelson-Tasman region.

The Auckland cases include a staff member at the Ellerslie Gardens Aged Residential Care facility

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."

There were 74 people in hospital with the coronavirus, including six in ICU.

There were also two cases from the UAE and the UK reported at the border.

Yesterday the ministry reported 98 new cases - 74 new cases in Auckland, 10 in Waikato, eight in Bay of Plenty (all in Tauranga), one in Taranaki (New Plymouth) and five in Nelson-Marlborough.

There have now been 9354 cases in the current community outbreak and 12,146 in New Zealand since the pandemic started.

In its daily statement, the Ministry of Health said it will no longer give some of the data - including how many cases are epidemiologically linked - with the statement "streamlined and slightly shortened to reflect the changing nature of the response".

There were 24,142 total vaccine doses given yesterday, including 4,387 first doses and 10,093 second doses. The ministry said 94 percent of eligible people in New Zealand have had their first dose and 88 percent are fully vaccinated.

The virus has been detected again in a wastewater sample taken in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. The ministry said health officials were not aware of any recovered cases in the region who may be shedding the virus.

"A third positive detection strongly indicates that there is at least one undetected case in the community."

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