There are 12,575 new community cases of Covid-19 today, with 654 people in hospital and 15 further deaths reported.

There are 23 people in intensive care, down from 30 yesterday. The number of hospitalisations continues to fall, with 38 less people in hospital with the coronavirus, compared to yesterday.

Today's seven-day average of new community cases is 12,307, compared to 14,969 this time last week.

The 15 new deaths include six women and nine men. Two were in their 60s, two in their 70s, four in their 80s, and seven were over 90.

Three were from the Auckland region, five from Waikato, one from Taranaki, one from Whanganui, one from MidCentral, one from Nelson Marlborough, one from West Coast, one from Canterbury, and one from South Canterbury.

The ministry said the deaths being reported today include people who have died over the previous four weeks. The total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 is now 443.

While Auckland still has the most new cases in the country, with 2147 new community cases today, Canterbury is a close second, with 2108 cases today.

The rest of today's community cases were in the Northland (619), Waikato (1101), Bay of Plenty (604), Lakes (299), Hawke's Bay (602), MidCentral (678), Whanganui (321), Taranaki (437), Tairāwhiti (128), Wairarapa (149), Capital and Coast (775), Hutt Valley (464), Nelson Marlborough (436), South Canterbury (249), Southern (1368) and West Coast (81) DHBs.

There were also 43 cases identified at the border.

There have now been 728,764 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

Earlier today, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced he is stepping down from his role at the end of July.

Yesterday, there were 14,120 community cases reported and 23 deaths.