83% Of Eligible New Zealanders Double Dosed; 70 In Hospital & Five In ICU; 172 Cases

83% of eligible New Zealanders double dosed; 70 in hospital & five in ICU; 172 cases

20 November 2021 

There were 22,608 vaccine doses administered yesterday, made up of 6,833 first doses and 15,775 second doses. To date, 91% of New Zealanders have had their first dose and 83% are fully vaccinated.

The continued spread of COVID-19 to regions throughout New Zealand is a reminder that everyone needs to heed the advice that will help keep our communities as safe as possible. That includes ensuring you and your loved ones are fully vaccinated if eligible, that you wear a mask, keep a safe distance from people outside your bubble, and keep track of your movements outside your home.
 

*The number of cases here may sometimes differ from the total reported due to a difference in reporting timeframes and reclassifications.

***Three community cases have been reclassified; two as ‘under investigation’ and one deemed not a case, so the net increase of cases today is 171.

****One previously reported border case has now been deemed historical.

New case identified at the border

My Vaccine Pass
As of mid-morning today, about 900,000 people had successfully downloaded their My Vaccine Pass.

The system is operating smoothly, and capacity has been increased, so we encourage people to go to MyCovidRecord.health.nz to book their My Vaccine Pass to be ready for summer.

**Today’s cases
Today we are reporting new cases in Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Lakes DHB, Waikato, and Northland.

Due to our usual cut-off period, a case announced yesterday in Wellington is officially added to today’s case tally.

Information on the new cases is included in the regional updates below.

Auckland update
There are 148 new cases being reported in Auckland today.

There are16 community testing centres available fortesting acrossAucklandtoday. The Pukekohe community testing centre is open until 5.30pm over the weekend. Northcote, Balmoral and Wiri testing centres continue to operate extended hours.

For up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visitthe Auckland Regional Public Health Service website. Testing is also available at GP and Urgent Care clinics, the locations of these can be found onthe Healthpoint website.

Public health staff are now supporting 5,430 people to safely isolate at home, which includes 2,459 cases.

Edmonton Meadows Care Home update
Twenty-one residents and five staff members of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in Henderson have now returned positive tests since the start of the outbreak.Three of the residents who tested positive for COVID-19 are receiving ward-level careat Aucklandhospitals.

Wellington Region update
A case announced yesterday in Wellington is today being confirmed, following a repeat swab returning a second positive result.

The initial weak result, combined with the follow-up test, indicates the case is in the early stages of infection. They are self-isolating.

The case is a user of the COVID-19 tracer app, which will assist with contact tracing and identifying any locations of interest. So far, one location of interest has been identified – Countdown Cable Car Lane in Wellington Central – and has been added to the Ministry’s website. As investigations continue, more locations of interest may be confirmed by public health staff.

The positive result was picked up as part of routine surveillance testing in Wellington, for an essential worker from Auckland working in the city. Investigations have identified a small number of close contacts, including the case’s co-workers, who are currently isolating and being tested. So far, all results from this testing have come back negative.

We urge anyone in the Wellington region with COVID-19-related symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if they are vaccinated.

People are also encouraged to monitor the Ministry’s locations of interest webpage, which is updated regularly.

We are also calling for people to take advantage of the weekend to get vaccinated, with many sites available across the region.

COVID-19 testing and vaccination site locations are available on the Healthpoint website.

Bay of Plenty
There are three new cases being reported in the Bay of Plenty today. Two are in Tauranga and one is Mount Maunganui which is connected to an existing case. The two Tauranga cases are in the same household and investigations into the source of their infection are underway.

A further case tested positive after presenting to Tauranga Hospital emergency department late last night and will be added to official figures tomorrow.

Public health officials deem the risk from last night’s exposure event at Tauranga Hospital is low but are today carrying out further evaluations. One ward has been closed to both visitors and new patients out of an abundance of caution. Three staff members have been stood down as a precaution.

Everyone who lives in or has travelled to the region is asked to monitor locations of interest regularly and follow any advice given. Anyone with COVID-19 related symptoms is asked to get tested as soon as possible – even if the symptoms are mild.

Testing locations can be found on the Healthpoint website.

Lakes
There are four new cases in Lakes DHB being reported today.

Two of the new cases are connected to the Taupo cluster, one of which is in Rotorua Hospital. There are also two new cases in Rotorua. One is linked to an existing case and investigations into the other case are ongoing but potential links have already been identified.

Waikato update
There were 12 new cases being reported in Waikato today.

Across the Waikato there are eight pop-up and dedicated testing centres operating today at Hamilton, Ôtorohanga, Huntly, Ngâruawâhia, Thames, and Te Kuiti.

Testing will be available at South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust, 1 Maraetai Lane, in Tokoroa from 4 – 7pm today. Further testing from tomorrow will be announced on the Waikato DHB website.

Yesterday, there were around 2,400 tests processed across the region.

In Waikato, public health staff are supporting 135 cases to isolate at home.

Northland update
There are four new cases being reported for Northland today. One is in Kaitaia, one is in Ruakaka and one is in Dargaville. All three of these people are close contacts of existing cases and were already in isolation.

The fourth case resides in Auckland where they are isolating.

Yesterday across the region, there were 985 swabs taken and 903 vaccinations given.

Testing and vaccination clinics open today can be found on the Northland DHB website.

Testing, vaccinations this weekend
We continue to urge anyone in New Zealand with COVID-19-related symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if they are vaccinated.

We also encourage people to take advantage of the weekend to get vaccinated, with many sites available nationwide. 

COVID-19 testing and vaccination site locations are available on the Healthpoint website.

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