More than 23,000 vaccines given yesterday; 56 community cases; 48 in hospital; 7 in ICU

News article

23 December 2021

There were 23,016 total vaccine doses administered yesterday, including 1,578 first doses and 7,258 second doses. To date, 95% of eligible people in New Zealand have had their first dose (partially vaccinated) and 91% are double-dosed (fully vaccinated).

Eleven DHBs are now fully vaccinated to 90% or higher, with Hawke’s Bay and Waikato next in line on 89%, with 823 and 2,147 doses left to go respectively before reaching this milestone.

Holiday reminder

People should stick to the basics to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 over the Christmas and New Year break.

That means wearing a mask or face covering and physical distancing in crowded or unventilated spaces and scanning in using the COVID-19 Tracer app or keeping a manual diary.

As always, people who have any symptoms that could be COVID-19 are asked to get a test and stay at home until they receive a negative result.

The vaccine remains our key defence against all variants of COVID-19, including Omicron. We continue to ask everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, including people who are now eligible for a booster dose.

Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.

COVID-19 vaccine update

  • Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,969,641 first doses (94%); 3,822,918 second doses (91%); 26,971 third primary doses; 253,269 booster doses
  • Vaccines administered yesterday: 1,578 first doses; 7,258 second doses; 807 third primary doses and 13,373 booster doses.
  • Māori (percentage of eligible people): 498,442 first doses (87%); 450,999 second doses (79%)
  • Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 270,488 first doses (94%); 255,815 second doses (89%)

Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)

  • Northland DHB: First doses (88%); second doses (83%)
  • Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96%); second doses (93%)
  • Waikato DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)
  • Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (88%)
  • Lakes DHB: First doses (92%); second doses (86%)
  • Taranaki DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (88%)
  • Hawke’s Bay DHB: First doses (94%); second doses (89%)
  • Hutt Valley DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (92%)
  • Nelson-Marlborough DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (90%)
  • Canterbury DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (95%)

Hospitalisations

  • Cases in hospital: 48; North Shore: 8; Auckland: 19; Middlemore: 18; Waikato: 2; Tauranga: 1
  • Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (24 cases / 54%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (6 cases / 13%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (11 cases/ 24%); unknown (4 cases / 9%)
  • Average age of current hospitalisations: 49
  • Cases in ICU or HDU: 7 (1 in North Shore; 2 in Auckland; 4 in Middlemore)

Cases

  • Seven day rolling average of community cases: 58.1
  • Number of new community cases: 56
  • Number of new cases identified at the border: 4
  • Location of new community cases: Auckland (42), Waikato (4), Bay of Plenty (6), Lakes (2), Tairāwhiti* (1), and Taranaki (1).
  • Number of community cases (total): 10,432 (in current community outbreak)
  • Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 7,777
  • Number of active cases (total): 1,537 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classed as recovered)
  • Confirmed cases (total): 13,278**

*Please note, the Tairāwhiti’s case was tested, and is currently located, in the Tauranga area. This case has been officially transferred to Tairāwhiti’s case numbers as they have a permanent Tairāwhiti address.

**A case in Auckland reported as ‘under investigation’ since the end of November has now been confirmed a case and is reflected in the overall confirmed case numbers to date.

Contacts

  • Number of active contacts being managed (total): 6,482
  • Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 86%
  • Percentage who have returned at least one result: 80%

Tests

  • Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 21,963
  • Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 18,818
  • Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 11,490

Wastewater

  • Wastewater update below

NZ COVID Tracer

  • Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday: 2,439,398
  • Manual diary entries in 24 hours to midday: 32,625

My Vaccine Pass

  • My vaccine passes issued total: 4,488,461
  • My vaccine passes issued (last 24 hours): 28,877

New cases identifed at the border
Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location

11 December

Singapore

Direct flight

Details yet to be obtained

Auckland

20 December

Australia

Direct flight

Day 1/routine

Auckland

20 December

Australia

Direct flight

Day 0/routine

Auckland

Historical cases identified at the border
Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location

9 December

United States of America

Direct flight

Day 0/routine

Christchurch

Wastewater update

Following the detection of COVID-19 in samples collected from Napier on 15, 19 and 20 December, the virus was not detected in a sample collected on 21 December.

A follow up sample has been collected for analysis.

The recent wastewater detections in the area may be due to undetected community transmission or a recently recovered case returning to the region shedding the virus, but is no longer infectious.

Anyone who has symptoms – no matter how mild – is asked to get tested, even if they are vaccinated - and stay home until they return a negative test result. For all testing locations, please visit the Healthpoint website.

There are no other new, unexpected wastewater results to report.

Today’s cases

Today, we are reporting new community cases in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Taranaki, and Tairāwhiti.

Please note, the Tairāwhiti’s case was tested, and is currently located, in the Tauranga area. This case has been officially transferred to Tairāwhiti’s case numbers as they have a permanent Tairāwhiti address.

Regional updates

We are continuing to ask anyone in New Zealand with symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if you’re vaccinated. Please stay at home until you return a negative test result.

Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.

Auckland

Today, there are 42 new cases being reported in Auckland. 

Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,831 people to isolate at home, including 583 cases.

Waikato

There are four new cases being reported in Waikato today; two in Te Kūiti, one in Ōtorohanga, and one case with location information yet to be confirmed.

There are 10 pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating throughout Waikato today with sites in Hamilton, Te Kūiti, Tokoroa, Putāruru, Taumarunui, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, and Ōtorohanga.

Health and welfare providers are supporting 61 cases to isolate at home

For a full list of testing sites, see the Waikato DHB website.

Bay of Plenty

There are six new cases being reported in the Bay of Plenty today. Of those, one is in in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and five are in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Following initial investigations, three cases are deemed linked to existing cases. Interviews with the remaining cases to determine any possible connections are ongoing.

Additionally, we are also reporting a case that was tested and is currently located in the Tauranga area. This case has been officially transferred to Tairāwhiti’s case numbers as they have a permanent Tairāwhiti address.

Contacts are being identified and will be called and given testing and isolation advice.

Lakes

There are two news cases being reported in the Lakes district today, both are in Rotorua and are household contacts of existing cases.

Taranaki

Today there is one new case being reported in Taranaki, linked to the Eltham cluster. It is understood this case has been self-isolating during their infectious period.

News releases over the Christmas break

Over the Christmas break there will be regular COVID-19 updates published and tweeted each day apart from:

  • Saturday 25 December,
  • Saturday 1 January, and
  • Saturday 8 January.
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