COVID-19 update 12 November 2021

>> Kia Ora.

Welcome to the press conference, everybody.

I will hand over to Dr Caroline McElnay, the Director Public Health for the latest update and they will make a few comments before taking your questions.

Kia Ora.

There are 201 new covered cases being reported today.

Of these, 181 are in Auckland, 15 in Waikato, four are in Northland and one in Taranaki with the remaining five to be included in tomorrow's figures.

There is also one case reported in recent returnees and our managed isolation facilities.

Further details are in the 1pm statement.

We are very aware of the grief and hurt for those who have recently lost loved ones to covered Mac -- COVID have experienced.

If you or your loved ones are being cared for in the community and you feel that your or their condition is deteriorating, please don't leave it to chance that you'll improve.

Please reach out as soon as possible or ask someone to do so on your behalf.

This is the advice that is given to anyone and everyone who is being cared for in the community with COVID.

Hospital care is free and ambulance services are free for those with COVID-19.

The hospitals are ready to help and have robust infection protection measures in place to keep you and your loved ones safe.

I would like to acknowledge that people have died this week and that is tragic for their friends and family.

This is a very well reminder that those who get COVID-19, sadly the more deaths we are likely to see.

It is a sad reminder that COVID-19 is potentially fatal and this is particularly true if you are unvaccinated.

J ust moving to hospitalisations.

There are 85 people in hospital with COVID-19.

Including three who are still being assessed.

Of these, 11 are in ICU high dependency unit.

The health system in Auckland can cope with these and the forecasted numbers of cases and hospitalisations.

And I'd like to reiterate that there are more than 1700 hospital beds across Auckland and more than 100 ICU beds.

Currently, overall hospital occupancy is about 86%.

ICU occupancy is around 70% and ventilator occupancy is around 15%.

It should be noted that the ICU bed capacity does change daily, depending on need and staffing.

We can manage but it is important that we limit the load on hospitals.

There are two key actions that all New Zealanders can do -- all New Zealanders can do to ensure that the system is able to provide for everybody's health needs and those two things are get vaccinated and continue to abide by the alert level restrictions.

It's also important that anyone who needs care for any reason seeks it.

Do not delay.

On testing, there continues to be high demand, particularly in Auckland.

Yesterday, there were 30,653 tests process are crossed with, processed along with swabs taken in Auckland alone.

Specifically on Auckland, just an update there, public health staff are continuing to urge anyone with symptoms no matter how mild to get a test.

The focus is currently on those living in anima, Kelston, Brazil, people living in those suburbs need to be vigilant and get tested if they are symptomatic.

The 18 community testing facilities available for testing across Auckland today.

Testing centres at Northgate, Balmoral, and body continue to operate to increase access to testing in those areas.

Public health staff are supporting all of 3000 people to isolate at home.

That's made up of 1382 cases across 929 households.

Just an update on Auckland West in Avondale, a second round of testing was carried out on residents and staff yesterday after two residents tested positive for COVID-19.

One further resident tested positive yesterday and has been admitted to Auckland city Hospital.

Other results from the second test of all other residents and staff received so far are all negative.

Moving to the cases in Stratford now.

One of the six are in Taranaki base Hospital and is in a stable condition.

The five remaining cases are isolating at home.

All of these cases are clearly linked and are also linked to the Auckland outbreak.

Contact tracing is underway.

To determine the movements of the cases and any locations interest.

Five locations of interest including pharmacies, hugger shop and supermarket have been added to the ministry's website so far.

So far, there have been five close (inaudible) and investigations still continue to see if there are any additional ones.

Just a note that these cases are highly likely to explain the recent wastewater detections in the town and the most recent detector there was reported on Tuesday.

And we want to remind anyone in Stratford or any recent visitors to the town with COVID-19 related symptoms, no matter how mild, should get tested.

Details of the testing and vaccination centres throughout Taranaki are on the Taranaki District Health Boards website.

Just on vaccination, as of yesterday, 86% of eligible people in Taranaki had received at least one dose of the vaccine, 70% have received the second dose and 73% had at least one dose, 54% have received their second dose.

Yesterday, 800 vaccines were administered in the region.

This is a really good time to get vaccinated if you haven't yet done so.

In Waikato, there are 15 new cases confirmed in the Waikato overnight.

Four cases have been linked to previous cases so far.

The remainder of the cases notified and investigations are underway.

Locations of interest, again, are on the Ministry of Health website, and yesterday they were identified in Hamilton and anonymous.

There are seven pop-ups and dedicated testing sites across the Waikato today.

Hamilton, (unknown name), (unknown name) and anonymous.

Yesterday, there were 3000 test process and 2628 doses of vaccine is given.

In addition, COVID was detested in the wastewater sample collected from (unknown name) on 8 November.

A repeat sample was taken on 10 November and we expect those results later today.

As we've seen in Stratford, this can be an indication of a case in the community.

It can also be due to recovered cases who may be there.

But we encourage anyone in (unknown name) with symptoms, even if they are mild and regardless of vaccination status to get tested.

Northland, there are four new cases in Northland being reported today, that brings the total to 39.

Three of those new cases are known close contacts of existing cases.

That leaves one who is still being investigated and interviewed.

Just a note that a person who was previously under investigation yesterday after returning an initial positive result has been reclassified as not a case after being confirmed with repeated negative results.

In Northland, there continues to be a good turnout for testing, 985 swabs taken yesterday.

There were also 1276 people lessening Roma vaccinated and refined yesterday.

The details of testing and vaccination centres can be found on the Northland HP website.

Finally, we are hearing reports that health professionals are being put under considerable pressure to provide vaccine exemptions when the process is just getting underway.

Just want to reiterate that there is a single national process with strict criteria and this is the only process that can be used.

So please be patient and be kind to frontline staff.

The application process and the criteria under which you can apply is on the Ministry of Health website.

Next step of our process is just to confirm the panel members, which we expect to do in the next two days.

Back to you, deputy prime minister.

>> You will see that we have had 80% of eligible New Zealanders having had the first dose of the vaccine and 80% fully vaccinated.

I want to thank the millions of New Zealanders have taken up the opportunity to get vaccinated.

On a DHBs basis, six DHBs have now hit the 90% mark -- mark for first doses.

Some others are very close to hitting that milestone.

South Canterbury is 842 doses away.

This weekend, people in those areas could go and get vaccinated and push their DHP past that milestone.

This weekend is a great time for people to get vaccinated and protect themselves, their family and their community.

On top of the vaccinations, the requirement to get vaccinated for health and education starts next week.

I want to thank the vast bulk of health and education workers have already been vaccinated.

Another Mac -- (unknown name) inaudible.

About 20% of the cases in the Delta outbreak have been children aged under 12 including babies.

This is one of the reasons we are asking health and education workers to be vaccinated, to protect those who cant yet protect themselves.

We've also seen that when COVID-19 gets into school and education environments around the world, that it can spread quickly and easily.

For health workers, it is a similar equation.

People entering our hospitals, GP clinics and other health care settings often have compromised health already.

As we have seen in this outbreak, hospitals and healthcare settings have become some of the key places that COVID-19 is ceding and spreading.

Having health workers vaccinated means that those who are sick can have that extra layer of protection from the virus.

So getting vaccinated is not only about protecting yourself, it is also about looking out for those around you and those you come into contact with, especially our children and the sick.

Vaccine requirements have been commonly used overseas.

They work and their key part of the vaccination drive in those countries with high rates of vaccination that we are trying to match.

Just a quick word on vaccine certificates.

As you know, vaccine certificates are in the very near future, and so far 700,000 New Zealanders have signed up to my COVID-19 record to create an account.

This is where that vaccine certificates will land sharply.

If you haven't already signed up, I encourage you to get cracking today at WW W.

Michael would record vaccine certificates will land sharply.

If you haven't already signed up, I encourage you to get cracking today at https://identity.health.nz/

(inaudible) the wage subsidy also continues to be available to eligible businesses on a fortnightly basis as well.

Since the current outbreak began, we have paid out $5.

5 billion of economic support via the Wage Subsidy Scheme which has helped to keep New Zealanders and work.

Happy to take your questions.

>> About the Stratford case, were any of those cases (inaudible)?

>> I believe that one were vaccinated.

>> (Inaudible) >> There was a member of the family in Auckland and they were coming down to be with their family in the Stratford area and a member of the family went to Auckland to pick the person up.

I'm not going to go into the details because I do want to try and protect some of the family's privacy here.

But it was part of a process of bringing someone down.

>> (Inaudible).

>> I don't have specific information about that as to why they were reluctant to get tested.

Obviously, they were in touch with the healthcare system over the last week or so and through that period of time, I am aware that they were asked to be tested but they declined that.

However, obviously, they became -- as the member of the family >> We were told there were several hours delay between the DHP finding out in them telling the Ministry of health and then, obviously, the public.

Is that true?

>> I am not aware of that.

We were first alerted at the Ministry of Health yesterday evening.

>> I'm not aware that either.

>> They were told early afternoon, yesterday?

>> I can follow that up.

The first that we can at the ministry, were aware was in the evening.

Shove it >> We were told there was one case in the community that was infectious for about a week?

>> Yes, at this time, the advice is not to do that, but Dr McElnay and her public health team are doing ongoing assistance of the situation.

The reason for the position we have right now is that we know how the case came to be.

How the virus came to be in Stratford.

We know that it is currently confined to one family and one household.

But, as the day goes on, more interviews are undertaken and more investigations are done, and the public health team will update the information.

But if you think about what happened in Christchurch in the beginning of October, the situation there, where somebody was there, we knew how they got the virus, we know how they got there.

We know about the person to think it could be contained.

For now, we're working on that basis.

But, we continue to listen to the advice.

I will finish with Jess and come back.

>> The family of a man who died said, were saying, that the level of support that they received in isolation was substandard.

Does that upset you to hear that that care was inadequate?

>> We want to make sure that everyone who is in the community is feeling safe and well looked after.

That they know if there are any issues whatsoever that they can be picked up quickly.

The system we have set up is designed so that we do early assessments on both the medical, health conditions, but also the public-health elements of them being safe and able to be cared for in the community.

By and large, I believe the system is working well.

But, clearly, there are some examples coming through where we do need to tweak the system.

That is happening.

We do need to continue to provide the services that are most appropriate for people.

Not the standardised way of interacting, that might not be the right thing for everybody.

We have got to be able to make sure our systems keep up with that.

>> What are you doing to improve the home isolation system, because people are currently overwhelmed, and making sure that people get the care that they need?

So that this doesn't happen again?

>> I'm not going to accept that the system is overwhelmed.

What I will accept is that we have some examples where things have not gone the way we would like them to go.

We have a process of continuous improvement so there are conversations between the Ministry of Health, the district told, and the public- health unit.

We do need to be involving more people from the community to be able to get the appropriate support alongside people, and ministers have been talking and working with officials at every level to make sure that the system operates as we intend it to.

Dr McElnay, do you have anything to add?

>> No, there are constant meetings with Auckland district health who are setting up the system to make sure that we learn from any of these events that have happened and make sure that we are providing that level of care.

>> How do you think that that family feels, saying, don't leave it to chance, and they are saying that they made multiple attempts to get in touch with health professionals and were told that there were cases of COVID-19?

>> I know in that situation, there is an investigation underway to find out exactly what did occur.

I have spoken to the providers that we use for the daily checks that are made to cases currently in the community, they have assured me that they do ring the daily.

They go through a number of questions specifically asking for symptoms.

They also offer additional health, professional support health advice, and that is a system that we have got.

I cannot go into the details on this particular situation.

>> Just hang on a minute, we will come back to you.

>> Are you aware of the John Ryan report into the procurement procedures for saliva testing?

That the panel had conflicts of interest?

What is going to be done about that?

>> I'm certainly aware of the report.

Obviously, the Ministry of Health is the agency that is being looked into their.

They accept the findings of the report, and I do note that Mr Ryan said that he does not feel the need to go further, but he has highlighted those issues that have concerned him.

Particularly, around where they can improve the documentation, communication, and the way that they worked through the RFP.

I would at -- also noted that the minute she was acting quickly at the time to stop they were making sure they dealt with a number of uncertainties, and that the process, recognising the importance of that development.

And very confident that the ministry will now use the recommendations of the auditor general to guide their future practice.

>> Dr McElnay, the four people on the selection panel of the company had conflicts of interest, how did that come about?

>> I was not involved in any of the processes there.

>> But in the background to it, though?

>> Supporting what the deputy minister has said, the report has been accepted by the ministry.

We will be reviewing those recommendations and making sure that our systems going forward and processes going forward >> How could that possibly happen?

>> I don't think either Dr McElnay or I were involved in the detail of how that panel was appointed.

What I would say is that we are in this area were a great deal of technical expertise is required for supper not making a specific comment about this because I was not involved, but, sometimes when there is this kind of technical, specialist area, you have to go looking for people who know about this particular type of testing.

Clearly, when you are doing that, you should be aware of the contract -- conflicts of interest.

We also know that conflicts of interest need to be managed.

This does not mean that people cannot automatically be involved, but they do need to be managed.

We would expect Ministry of Health, as we would do with any part of their work, to be aware of conflicts of interest and manage them full stop I'm sure that will be one of the lessons they learn from this.

>> Back to home isolation systems, early next week, there will be a mass exodus of people out of MiQ.

Are you considering moving away from default self isolation and thinking of putting people back into MiQ as a default?

>> We continue to put people into MiQ, those assessments that are done want somebody tests positive to the virus are very much about the suitability of where they are, the own ability, being able to manage and get through.

If people are in a position now that the assessment is that that is not the case, they go to MiQ.

There is room to do that in MiQ.

We will continue to get to the balance for what works to people either in the community or in MiQ.

>> Thinking about the resurgent payment opening up in Auckland, we hear a lot of shops are remaining quite empty.

Is there any further financial support that will be made available?

>> As I said when I made my opening remarks, more than 5 1/2 billion dollars of economic support have gone out since 17 August via both the Wage Subsidy Scheme and the wage support payment.

As of today, that Resurgence Support Payment has doubled.

We are doing our best to support people.

Have did -- there has been different report about retail, certainly a rush on the first day, but equally in others for instance, Auckland CBD it is much harder going.

There are not the normal numbers of people that would normally be in town because of our systems are set up in that your revenue defines how much assistance you get, so that is what people will be receiving.

>> We know the previous (inaudible)

>> We have maintained pretty constant contact with the banks over the course of this outbreak.

Monitoring the number of hardship applications put forward.

The banks tell us that they are not at the volumes that they were last time, and that they are being dealt with via banks.

Remember, the only reason the government became involved was, effectively, as an underwriter, with the concern that would be effect -- effects on the overall system.

This time, it is fundamentally down to an arrangement between those businesses and their banks.

>> Could you just say, for the advice that is given to people who are isolating, are there redlines in that advice that makes saying 'go to the hospital, don't bother calling Healthline, or wait for the daily check in call'?

When someone starts coughing up blood, they go to hospital.

There is no waiting around.

But, are there those redlines in the advice?

>> Yes, in the daily calls, not only do they check for symptoms, but every call is finished with 'if you deteriorate, become unwell, ring 111, seek that urgent health.

-- help.

Do not wait for the next call, which could be the next day, so that advice is given out in the daily calls.

>> Do you think that advice is getting to people, given the sort of things we are seeing this morning?

Someone who was clearly deteriorating but not going to hospital?

>> As the Deputy Prime Minister said earlier, messages can be given, but sometimes that might not be understood, or it is not perceived, or people may need a different way of communication with them.

That is one of the things that we are looking at, as part of the extra tweaks to the system that we have currently got in place.

That is the current system at the moment, the phone call.

That may not be the most appropriate method for everyone, and that is where we want to learn how to make that more specific to the needs of individuals and their families.

>> One more, regarding the resurgent payments, there is quite a lot about the lockdown in Auckland, and there are no support for renters, despite last year there being a lot of support for renters.

TP K also actually called for more support, but was shot down.

Did you at any point consider rental support, and why you did not provide it?

>> We kept an eye on the expenses of of all New Zealanders during this outbreak, particularly low income New Zealanders full stop last year, when we made the initiatives, we did it around making sure that people's rents could not go up.

That was in the environment of extreme uncertainty as to what was happening.

In this environment, now, we are confident that the systems we have got other ones that should work.

That is, people have significant financial stress, there are a number of avenues for them, particularly through the Ministry of Social Development to be able to work on.

So, no, on this occasion we did not take that beyond an ongoing situation.

Mr Woods as Housing Commissioner keeps us updated on the situation.

I will come down to Joe, and then to the front.

>> Regarding support >> That support is made available, if the MSC has concerns about the amount of support they have available, they can come to us.

>> This is about Wage Subsidy Scheme know you are encouraging employers to pay the full amount, 78% are going to come, (inaudible) and there is no control, meaning the landlord can't at some point ask for higher rents.

>> Bear in mind, again, we change the rules so rents can only go up once a year, between now and last time.

We continue to tell people, if they have concerns about their ability to make ends meet, that they contact MSD.

>> Of the percentage of people that are vaccinated, did you know (inaudible)

>> I am not aware of that, sorry.

I can find that out for you.

>> (Inaudible) have not been able to use their vaccination >> I think the person, I have got a note here which I just need to check, but I actually think the person who has left Auckland was the vaccinated person.

I will come back and confirm that.

>> (Inaudible) is the still consideration around people who are getting exemptions to cross the border and come back to other regions, especially requiring vaccinations for that trouble?

>> It is not something we have under active consideration right now.

Obviously, there are many different reasons for why exceptions may be required.

Some of those have to happen at very short notice as well, they are not necessarily planned.

Obviously, we want everybody to be vaccinated.

The vaccination rates in Auckland are now high, so you have a limited number of people.

But, we continue to have to deal with the reasons why people need exemptions.

Unfortunately, sometimes, that means we cannot intervene.

>> What is your view on the merits of moving into the traffic light system for the whole country, earlier, using it as a way to get our unvaccinated across the line?

>> I don't have a lot to add to what the prime minister said to you.

You won't be surprised to learn that.

Obviously, we want to create an environment where, not only are we all moving forward with vaccinations, but there are reasons why the unvaccinated should get vaccinated.

I would say, today, there are many reasons for that, regardless of what we end up doing with the traffic light system.

In particular, in the very near future, regardless of exactly when that is, if you want to be going to the gym, or going to bars, you are highly likely to be asked about your vaccine certificate.

Those reasons exist.

Just this week, Air New Zealand gave their notice about flying full stop we need people to understand whenever we go into the traffic light framework it will be different if you are vaccinated or not vaccinated.

Those incentives exist today, but obviously, as the prime minister has said to you, we do have the option in the back of our mind to change.

>> More on that, though, will we see Auckland moving into a (inaudible) and then moving the rest of the country after that?

And is it likely to be the full customer service so that everyone is on the same page are part of that system?

>> I think the premise indicated to you that that is what we are working on right now.

We still have the target of 90% vaccination and DHBs, and we are moving forward in getting closer to that.

We have also got to bear in mind the other commitment that we made, which is that we need to have Auckland is travelling for Christmas.

To put those two things >> We won't go quite as long today as we did last week.

>> For Auckland to be able to move at Christmas, the whole country needs to be in the (inaudible)?

>> That is what we are working through.

I'm just processing that question.

That's what we're working through at the moment.

Obviously, we have made the commitment that Auckland's will be able to leave.

We have to have a system that can support that better.

>> The vaccination order initially excluded family carers providing care and support.

The lamest -- the latest amendment to that (inaudible) exclusion.

Can you explain the basis for that requirement.

For example, a father who cares for his children in their own home.

>> Not specifically on that, no, sorry.

I think my understanding and I can come back to the specifics of the order but my understanding is looking across the board, we wanted to provide some consistency and make sure that if there were people in vulnerable situations, they were protected.

It is a challenging area because there are a lot of different arrangements and community in home care.

There are also caregivers that are coming in and out of people's houses as well.

We have set the net relatively wide here to make sure that we are protecting as many people as we can, no matter what healthcare setting that they're in.

>> This might be a bit of a technical one.

You were wrong like you said there were 80 something people in hospital.

Are you able to tell us how many people have had a first job out of those?

>> I don't have that split down but we do provide details on our website of vaccination status and that is updated, I think it is updated on a weekly basis.

>> I think I could do it.

>> You are asking about the 81 it today.

Of those, how many of them are fully vaccinated?

Five, one who was fully vaccinated but the second dose was less than 40 days.

One, who had my ship (inaudible).

>> (Inaudible)

>> That is my understanding that Medsafe has received that application.

I don't have a timeline on when Medsafe will make that determination.

They will be doing that as they have done with all of the other applications.

Under urgency but using their due processes so we will be able to update you on the Mac.

>> Bear in mind that the process that occurs there is through a technical advisory group as well so there are several steps once the application has been provided.

Medsafe also require a significant amount of paperwork.

Pfizer has been pretty good at providing all of that but there can be the odd delay getting that through.

I think it's really important that we get those right.

You know, a lot of New Zealanders want their children to be able to get the vaccine but they also want to know that we've gone through all of the robust steps.

We will take a bit of time.

This is a milestone in the sense that the application has been provided.

>> Wouldn't New Zealand wait to receive child safe in other work (inaudible).

>> My understanding is that it is a different preparation so it's not something that you can take the adult vial and use less of.

It is actually a specific paediatric formulation but obviously that is what we await Medsafe's view on that.

>> I'm conscious of my time here because we both have a meeting we need to get to for 2pm.

I will get people who haven't asked the question yet and I'm going to go to the end.

>> How can you say that Auckland healthcare system can cope with (inaudible) when nursing organisation has just put out a statement saying that severe staffing shortages are affecting patient care because they do not have the staff, even if the healthcare system has (inaudible)?

>> I base my statement on the conversations that we've had with the District Health Boards and the chief executives there and the senior management and the numbers that we are seeing and what we project in the new term is that we do have the capacity.

>> (Inaudible) I said we would come over here.

>> Is a different question.

I said, we've got to move on.

>> (Inaudible) vaccination rates will probably still not be as desirable once the traffic light system turns.

Has the government reached (inaudible) to ask them, to research them (inaudible) while the country keeps moving?

>> Italy border to Britain it's really important to remember (inaudible) to see people vaccinated such as in other work where the rates are.

The two parts of the funding that we announced, the first half of it was about straight up vaccination campaigns, says I can -- the second part was designed around what you're talking about which is to support Maori groupings to help us design some of the ways in which we are going to be able to manage the traffic light system.

>> (Inaudible) a robot to stop lenders from going to some areas just because of vaccination rates.

>> That's a discussion that obviously would involve the police significantly.

We also want to move into this very carefully if that was a consideration.

We've had very good relationships with the groups who have been involved in the roadblocks there, we want to make sure that if there were to be considerations, (inaudible) everybody.

It's not something we would be putting money towards at this point.

If that happened what has happened, we seem really good cooperation between the police and those running at those checkpoints.

>> (Inaudible) >> We've only got a little bit -- a limited amount of time.

>> (Inaudible) any possibilities (inaudible).

>> Yes, there are three who are aged under 12.

From the information from this morning, there didn't seem to be any schools that had been identified as locations of interest.

Obviously, those are the details that we want to go back and just check and we will be getting further updates this afternoon but at this point, not that I'm aware of there are any locations that are schools.

>> With the current average waiting time processing time for tests and what happens if somebody (inaudible) doesn't get it before they leave.

We've heard from people say that it has been 72 hours and haven't her back.

I had someone else who did not get the result and the clock was ticking, they went to the testing centre themselves and were told that somebody just forgot to text them.

>> Obviously, in situations like that, there is going to be the odd example of a human error that might cost something like that.

The timing, the median processing time is 21 hours currently.

>> Is that a good level?

Siobhan and we try to keep it under 24 so that is under the target that we have.

>> (Inaudible) and then we will come back and do another round with anybody who is in.

>> About mandating these things for types of (inaudible) workforce.

>> This one, we're still working through the process that was outlined a wee while back which is about the law change that will enable people to be able to do that themselves.

Having conversations with the police to work out where they sit within that framework.

The police are now up to close to 90% first dose so that has been progressing really well so those conversations are ongoing.

>> In terms of the Auckland (inaudible) can you be more specific as to when that might open it?

And what's happening with the Borders, (inaudible)?

>> The Auckland boundary.

As the Minister indicated, we will have something to say next week about the date of the Auckland boundary.

It is important for us that we get people plenty of warning about that so they can make their future plans.

As we have said before, what happens outside of the Auckland boundary is another bike for us.

>> Having had a discussion with the Prime Minister about her visit to Auckland?

>> Yes, yes I have.

>> She mentioned casually hospital the was that when she went to the cafe in the morning or did she do it in a wider basis because hospitality in Auckland don't seem to be aware of her talking to anyone.

>> I did not get that level of detail with her, sorry.

>> (Inaudible) >> There are 11 cases in ICU.

How much (inaudible) would ICB -- ICU be in Auckland at the moment.

>> I do have those details.

Certainly, ICU is one of those ones where the risk capacity -- there is capacity and internship -- in terms of ventilators.

>> It is around 70% at the moment as you can see.

As Dr McElnay said in her opening comments, the capacity changes every day.

So whilst we have covered and we are concerned about covered patients -- of 19 patients in ICU, we are confident about the capacity there.

>> (Inaudible) any of the others under 12 or is it five eligible people who are not vaccinated?

>> There are three people who are not eligible to be vaccinated, three children.

>> (Inaudible) >> In light of concerns from the nurses union, they said as well that community nurses are so under pressure and worried that home isolation is growing at a rate that they can keep up with and that will potentially lead to more deaths.

Can you give a sense of how under pressure the system is at the moment and how much there is (inaudible)?

Siobhan we have conversation every single day about how the outbreak is being managed one of the things we talk about every single day is the capacity of the system to be able to do that because the workforce is clearly a critical part of that and the assurances that we have been given by the District Health Boards is that they are able to manage.

Of course, when something that covered -- COVID comes along, it puts additional pressure on the system of the workforce.

Throughout this outbreak, we have had (inaudible) and we continue to look at how we can move forward.

I'm not underestimating the pressure that the health workforce in New Zealand has been under and in particular around -- are nursing workforce and they've done a magnificent job and we continue to work with them to make sure that we can support them better.

The information that we have, that we request a daily basis, is that the system can cope.

>> (Inaudible) people, why is the Minister not recording the number of people getting vaccinated when we note that there is a high risk from COVID (inaudible) >> I can see who asked that question.

I will follow that up for you because I think the issue there is that we would need to have that information collected and once it's on our database, then that is something that you can produce.

But it's only a moment in time.

>> What about numbers, rather than percentages?

>> What I would say is that in terms of risk assessments, when people either present at hospital and they are coming through the testing system now through the home and community isolation system, these are the kinds of assessments that are down.

-- done.

While the data is not collated, it is one of the questions we are being asked is where people in terms of their health vulnerabilities or risks to Mac I'm going to take a couple more questions.

>> I'm asking this on behalf of a colleague.

Christmas is fast approaching.

>> I've heard.

>> I wonder if (inaudible) or whether there is an exemption?

>> You are early with that question.

Suffice to say that as we've done in the past with the Easter Bunny as well, I'm quite confident that Santa will be able to make his presence felt.

>> Will he have a better chance of getting an exemption?

>> Are pretty confident that centre will get vaccinated.

-- I am pretty confident that Santa will get vaccinated.

Will you stop destroying people's myths here, Craig?

>> You said you would look at reopening, that you have the Ministry of Health look at that, I personally was not making the commitment.

I don't know if the Ministry of Health has looked at that?

>> I'm not sure we have been asked from a public health perspective to provide our advice on that.

>> Last week, you were considering reopening Paul's?

It >> I said if we were asked to reconsider it, we would.

I don't know if we have been asked to be considerate.

>> It has not come through me, either.

>> Who would reconsider it?

Who do you need to ask?

>> That would probably come through sport New Zealand or through an application.

Through the deputy MSC.

Down to Jim, I have got to finish.

>> Coming back to the auditor general, the government spells -- spends 5 billion a year, what are your expectations of how conflicts of interest should be managed?

>> They need to be managed the same way they are in any way that the government does.

Identified early by people, and assessments made as to whether they can be mitigated against.

As I said before, just because you have a conflict of interest, doesn't mean you need to completely remove yourself stop for example, you may remove yourself from one part of a process we have a conflict.

We would expect that, where conflicts cannot be managed, alternative people should be able to be brought in.

>> What about disclosure?

It took a lot of effort to find out who was on this selection panels, and what their conflicts were.

Should that not all be out for the public to see, for reassurances that it should be kosher?

>> We try to release as much information as we can.

When it comes generically to appointments, often that is very personal information.

We do sometimes have to be judicious about how personal relations relating to appointments comes about.

As a matter of practice, we should be releasing as much information as is appropriate under the AOI a.

>> What is the government's message to groups trying to get out of getting vaccinated?

Is another challenge of the vaccine mandate, being rejected by the High Court, what is your message to those trying to get out of the mandates?

>> My messages that we need the maximum number of New Zealanders to be vaccinated.

As I said in my opening remarks, we have not taken decisions about mandating lightly full stop we have looked at the areas where we know we need to protect the vulnerable, those who cannot get vaccinated, and make sure everybody feels safe in those setting.

My messages: The message -- the vaccine we have got is a say.

It is being used all around the world, and we know in our own data and statistics in our own outbreak, it has a demonstrable role in making sure you do not get as sick.

That you are less likely to pass on the virus to others.

I really do ask and urge people to think of the communities that they work and live in, to get vaccinated.

>> Being able to give the country more certainty as of and start happening in the lead up to Christmas?

>> We look to give as much certainty as we can.

We obviously announced during the week the underwrite scheme for larger events, and we are providing information as soon as we get it.

As he said with COVID-19, there are no easy decisions.

No decisions you can make with all of the information.

But we will move forward in a careful and balanced way.

Thanks, everyone.