17 Feb 2022

Covid-19: 1573 daily community cases reported in New Zealand

1:46 pm on 17 February 2022

The Ministry of Health is reporting 1573 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

Samples of the coronavirus (Covid-19) PCR gargle test are pictured before further examination in the LifeBrain laboratory in Vienna on February 1, 2022.

Samples of the coronavirus (Covid-19) PCR test (file image). Photo: AFP

In a statement, the Health Ministry said there were 62 people in hospital with the coronavirus. None are in ICU.

The Ministry said 1140 of the cases are in Auckland, with the others in the Northland (31), Waikato (143), Bay of Plenty (29), Lakes (35), Hawke's Bay (2), MidCentral (3), Whanganui (11), Taranaki (8), Tairāwhiti (8), Wairarapa (30), Capital and Coast (20), Hutt Valley (22), Nelson Marlborough (49), Canterbury (7) and Southern (35) DHBs.

There were also 15 cases reported at the border today.

Yesterday's community case numbers hit 1160.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand since the pandemic began is now 24,660.

There were 40,452 vaccine booster doses given yesterday, including 2320 first doses, 1487 second doses and 1677 paediatric doses.

The Ministry said more than 90 percent of Māori aged 12 years and over in the Hutt Valley have now been fully vaccinated -the fourth DHB area in Aotearoa to reach this milestone.

"Since January 22, when the first Omicron case was detected in the community, double vaccinated cases are ten times less likely to require hospitalisation than unvaccinated cases - 4 percent of unvaccinated cases have required hospitalisation and 0.4 percent of fully vaccinated cases have required hospitalisation."

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