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Wellington, October 19, 2021
The Ministry of Health reported a record-high 94 new community cases of Covid-19 in the country today, the highest daily total since April last year.
Of these, 41 cases are linked, 26 of which are household contacts and 53 are unlinked. There are 38 people in the hospital, eight in North Shore, 12 in Middlemore, and 18 in Auckland. Five people are in ICU or HDU.
The total number of cases related to the current outbreak has reached 2099. There are 2030 cases in Auckland (1360 of whom have recovered); 52 in Waikato (seven of whom have recovered); and 17 in Wellington (all of whom have recovered).
The Ministry said that 183 cases from the past 14 days remain unlinked and that are 2039 contacts. A total of 16,921 tests were processed around the country yesterday (October 18, 2021), of which 12,688 were in Auckland. There are 439 locations of interest.
Waiheke Island records the first case
A person on Waiheke Island has tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the first case to be diagnosed on the island. Waiheke Local Board chair Cath Handley said that health authorities informed her of the case this afternoon.
She told Checkpoint that the new case on the island has ‘upset people here greatly.’
“The person had been tested for Covid-19 on the mainland in Auckland but travelled to the island instead of isolating. They travelled by the Sealink car ferry and stayed in their vehicle, then went to a residence on the island but had no contact with anyone. Therefore, there are no locations of interest on Waiheke island,” she said.
Ms Handley said that however, a number of questions arise, among which the person travelled after getting a test and that person did not self-isolate.
Health officials told Ms Handley that the person will now isolate at a house on Waiheke.
Vaccination in Auckland
As on date, 6,387,870 vaccines have been administered throughout New Zealand, of which 3,582,822 (85%) are first doses, and 2,805,048 (67%) are second doses. Maori accounted for 379,563 (66%) of the first dose of vaccination, and 258,018 (45%) the second dose. About 231,295 (81%) Pasifika have had one dose of the vaccine while 171,818 (60%) are fully vaccinated. In Auckland, 89% of the eligible population has had one dose of the vaccine and 72% has had both doses.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Morning Report that there has to be a price to pay for not getting vaccinated, as the region heads into another fortnight of Level 3 restrictions.
The government is heading towards a different approach to managing Covid-19 when Vaccination rates are high, and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that a Vaccination target of 90% would feature “prominently.”
Goff said a target of 90% double vaccinated effectively means 94% having at least the first dose and that was “very aspirational.”
“We must maximise the number of people being vaccinated but cannot wait for the last reluctant person to be vaccinated before deciding that it is safe to relax the restrictions. There must be sanctions with encouragement and incentives, and good access to vaccines,” he said.
-Published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
