178 cases in Q'town-Lakes, 102 in Central

There are 178 new cases of Covid-19 in the Queenstown-Lakes community and 102 in Central Otago, while across the whole Southern region there are 1,368 extra people with the virus.

That's according to today's daily tally of reported cases by local health officials.

In a statement, the Southern District Health Board says there are a total 7,970 unrecovered cases from the last seven days - 1,132 of them in Queenstown-Lakes and 580 in Central Otago.

There are 24 people in Southern hospitals with Covid-19, down from 28 yesterday.

There is one person in Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown with the virus.

One person in hospital in Dunedin with the virus is in intensive care. 

The SDHB continues to urge anyone eligible who is not yet boostered to do so.

Across the Southern region, 74.9 percent of eligible people have received a booster to their Covid-19 vaccination.

"If you haven't gone to get your booster vaccination yet, get it now. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to build full protection against Covid-19, so the time to act is now," the statement from the SDHB says.

Current hospitalisations as at 8am, April 6, 2022 (Source SDHB) 

Please note that hospitalisation data does not differentiate between patients admitted because of Covid-19 infection versus those admitted for a separate reason who happen to also have Covid-19. 

Current cases as of 11.59pm, April 5, 2022 (Source SDHB) 

Please note, the Ministry of Health’s daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO. Due to the increased use of RATs and system lag issues there may be a discrepancy in the number of total active cases from the territorial authority breakdown. A decision has been made nationally that areas with less than 5 new cases per 24-hour period will be reported as “<5”. All territorial authorities with less than 100 cases will have their case numbers rounded to the nearest 5. We are unable to supply further information. Please contact the Ministry of Health directly for more information about these decisions.  

Covid-19 in the South - What you need to know:

• Please only get tested if you have symptoms or are a household contact of a confirmed case.
• Testing locations can be found on the WellSouth website.
• If you test positive on a RAT test you do not need to have that confirmed by PCR – you are a case. Please update your My Covid Record with your result. Call 0800 222 478, option 3, if you need any support to do this.
• If you receive a text notification that you are positive, please do the online survey in the link you receive in the text message as soon as possible. This will ensure you can receive the appropriate care and support when you need it. Please be aware that, after filling in your My Covid Record with your positive RAT result, there can be a 24-hour delay before you receive this text message. 
• Prepare now to self-isolate if you or a family member or housemate tests positive.
• If you are self-isolating and require welfare support such as help getting groceries, please call 0800 512 337.
• If you have concerns about Covid-19 symptoms, call your general practice or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 at any time. If you are very unwell or having breathing difficulties, call 111 immediately.