Today we are reporting 6,984 community cases and 417 current hospitalisations. The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 6,422.
We are sadly reporting the deaths of eight people with COVID-19. All these deaths occurred in the past seven days. Winter illness Our traditional winter illnesses are circulating in the community along with COVID-19.
This is putting significant pressure on all parts of the health system. Health services have been planning for a challenging winter and are working regionally to manage capacity and demand, prioritise urgent care and deliver as much planned care as possible.
It helps our health services if everyone does their bit to help us get through winter. The best thing New Zealanders can do to ensure they and their families don’t end up in hospital is to be up-to-date with their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.