Covid 19 update: Four deaths in the South

There have been 7,441 new community cases of Covid-19 and 29 further deaths reported today, including five people aged under 40.

Of the fresh cases, 742 are in the Southern region; of the deaths, four are, the Ministry of Health says.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers is 7,548, almost unchanged from last Friday's 7,555.

The 29 deaths include 14 people who have died in the past two days, with the rest dying between March 24 and May 7.

Two people were in their 20s, three in their thirties, three in their fifties, four in their sixties, six in their seventies, three in their eighties and eight over the age of 90. Fourteen were women and 15 were men.

Across the country there are 398 people in hospital with the virus, with six of them in intensive care.

In the last of its regular weekday briefings to media, the Southern District Health Board is reporting 18 people are in Dunedin Hospital, and five are in Southland Hospital with the virus.

There are 88 new cases of Covid-19 in the Queenstown Lakes community and 65 in Central Otago.

Across the South, there are 5,166 active cases of Covid-19 from the last seven days.

From next week, the district health board will be paring back its regular Covid-19 communications to twice-weekly updates.

At a media stand-up earlier today, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield warned the official number of Covid-19 cases reported is probably approximately half the actual number of cases in the community.

Current hospitalisations as at 8am, May 13, 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. Hospital numbers reported by the Southern DHB include those in mental health wards.   

Current cases as of 11.59pm, May 12, 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.