South seeing 'long tail' of Covid-19

Covid-19 is still prevalent throughout Southern communities as local health officials report a further day of 1000-plus new cases.

The Southern District Health Board, in it's daily media update this afternoon, says there are 1,065 new reported positive cases of the virus in the region.

It brings the total number of active cases in the last seven days to 6,688.

"Our district has entered the 'long tail' of Covid-19 and, as we enter the cooler months, it is more important than ever that we remain vigilante and follow the simple public health guidelines that we all now know: wear a mask correctly, test if you have symptoms, and stay home until you receive a negative test result or are a household contact of a confirmed case," the SDHB says in its statement.

"Covid-19 hospitalisations remain high across the Southern district as the virus has spread into our older population.

"Those over the age of 65 have a higher chance of complications as a result of Covid-19 infection and thus a higher likelihood of requiring hospitalisation.

"The Southern DHB encourages anyone in this age group to get boosted if they have not yet done so.

"A booster dose is your best defence against Covid-19 hospitalisation." 

The SDHB is also reminding people now is a good time to get an annual flu vaccination. 

Current hospitalisations as at 8am, April 28, 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, April 27, 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.  

Across the country, the Ministry of Health has today reported that 13 more people have died with Covid-19 and there are 9047 new community cases.

Today's seven-day rolling average of case numbers is 7705, down from 7935 last week.

There are 484 people in hospital with the virus - 15 in intensive care.

The 13 deaths reported today include people who have died over the previous nine days, apart from two deaths on 4 April.

The Ministry of Health says 723 people with Covid-19 had now died in New Zealand.

Two of today's deaths were from the Auckland region, three from Bay of Plenty, two from Waikato, one from Taranaki, one from MidCentral, one from Hawke's Bay, and three from Canterbury. Two were in their 50s, two in their 60s, one in their 70s, three in their 80s, and five were over 90. Five were women and eight were men.

In addition to the Southern region's 1,065 cases, today's new cases were in the Northland (276), Auckland (2519), Waikato (550), Bay of Plenty (335), Lakes (129), Hawke's Bay (281), MidCentral (344), Whanganui (108), Taranaki (215), Tairāwhiti (137), Wairarapa (95), Capital and Coast (589), Hutt Valley (236), Nelson Marlborough (358), Canterbury (1505), South Canterbury (185), and West Coast (113) DHBs.

There were also 80 new cases of Covid-19 detected at the border.

New Zealand has now recorded a total of 912,490 cases of Covid-19.

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.