Thursday March 24

There are 18,423 new cases of Covid-19 today and 913 people are in hospital with the virus. 

Of these new cases, 674 are in Northland, 3,629 are in Auckland, 1,643 in Waikato, 987 in Bay of Plenty, 483 in Lakes, 1,055 in Hawke's Bay, 876 in MidCentral, 313 in Whanganui, 655 in Taranaki, 326 in Tairāwhiti, 249 in Wairarapa, 1,200 in Capital and Coast, 627 in Hutt Valley, 709 in Nelson Marlborough, 3,150 in Canterbury, 319 in South Canterbury, 1,459 in Southern, 57 in West Coast and 12 in unknown locations.

The total number of active cases is 118,631.

The Ministry of Health defines active cases as those identified in the last seven days and not yet classified as recovered.

Hospitalisations and Covid-19 related deaths

11 people with Covid-19 have died, bringing the total to date to 221.

Of these 11 people who have died, three people are from the Auckland region, one is from Bay of Plenty, four are from Waikato, one is from Taranaki, one is from the Wellington region and one is from Canterbury.

Two of these people were in their 50s, one was in their 70s, four were in their 80s, and four were in their 90s.

The Ministry of Health reports on deaths of all people who die within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

There are currently 913 people in hospital. 28 of these people are in ICU or HDU.

The average age of people currently in hospital is 59.

Testing

36,969 Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) were reported in the past 24 hours and 3,268 PCR tests were processed.

If you take a RAT you must report the result, positive or negative. This can be done online through My Covid Record, or by calling 0800 222 478 between 8am and 8pm. 

Vaccinations

96.3 percent of New Zealand's eligible population have had the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 95.1 percent have had a second dose.

72.7 percent of eligible New Zealanders have gotten their booster.

Click here for a list of updated locations of interest. 

Top Image: A poster about having a vaccine pass - these rules are soon set to change. (File photo) Photo: Michael Madden-Smith/Re: News

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