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Wellington, September 26, 2021
There were 18 new community cases of Covid-19 today (September 26, 2021), while former Prime Minister Sir John Key returned to the spotlight to accuse the government of relying on fear tactics.
All but two of the 18 new community cases reported today were epidemiologically linked to previous cases, the Health Ministry said in an emailed statement.
That brings the community cases of Covid-19 to 1165 since the mid-August outbreak began.
The Ministry said that more than five million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have now been given out in New Zealand. A total of 82% of eligible Auckland residents have now had their first dose.
“We want to reiterate our thanks to frontline staff administering the vaccines, especially during the current community outbreak. Your hard work is helping to keep New Zealanders safe,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Reaching Maori and Pacifica
Health officials are finding new ways to reach out and support Maori and Pasifika families and raise vaccination rates, including extra help for those in isolation and using TikTok influencers to reach rangatahi.
Four locations of interest were also added to the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 contact tracing list this morning, all in Auckland. They include Mobil Glen Innes, Farro Epsom, Unichem Otara and Chemist Warehouse Manukau. Full details on times and dates can be found on the Ministry’s list.
It was the first weekend of Level 3 in Auckland, and the Police reported that compliance was good, although there were isolated cases of arrests like a farmer near the city’s northern border spotted driving up his water race in a bid to dodge the checkpoint.
John Key on Covid management
In a series of op-eds and interviews today, former Prime Minister Sir John Key said that vaccination is the only way to return to normality where New Zealanders can travel overseas and return when they want to do so.
You can read more here.
Lockdown supported, for now
A new poll showed general support for lockdowns to eliminate Covid-19 but has warning signs about the population’s patience for future restrictions and concerns about mandatory vaccinations.
Research New Zealand’s survey showed that 70% of New Zealanders saying that they support lockdowns. However, that changes when the vaccination rate reaches a high enough level. 47% said that they would support them only until the vaccination target has been reached. The support also varied by region, Research NZ Managing Director Emanuel Kalafatelis said.
“If you compare Auckland to the rest of the country there’s a lower level of support for a continuation of lockdown. In Auckland it is 66%, compared to Wellington where it is 79%.”
As to mandatory vaccinations, results varied widely depending on the section of people. About 85% of health and quarantine frontline workers said that they should be required.
But when asked if businesses should be able to require vaccination for employees, numbers supporting that dropped considerably to just 57%.
Australia has seen violent protests recently over lockdown restrictions, but Kalafatelis said he hopes New Zealanders wouldn’t behave that way.
“I would just hope that New Zealanders are a little more reasonable and controlled in terms of their emotions and reactions.”
In Australia, there were another 961 cases in New South Wales and 779 in Victoria to report, and a total of 11 deaths.
-Published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
