The Big Boost Week continues to see tens of thousands of people going out to get their booster dose each day. Yesterday, 47,573 booster doses were administered across the motu – that’s twice as many as Sunday – and brings the total so far to almost two million doses.

Additionally, Whanganui DHB yesterday afternoon reached a vaccine milestone, with their eligible population now 90% fully vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health would like to thank everyone in New Zealand who has been vaccinated. You are doing your bit to keep all New Zealanders safe.

The COVID-19 vaccine remains our best defence against the virus. People who are vaccinated are less likely to get seriously unwell or be hospitalised than people who haven’t been vaccinated.

The booster vaccine offers a high level of protection against Omicron, so if it’s been three months since you got your second dose, please get your booster as soon as possible.

Omicron is highly transmissible, but all of us can play our part to slow the spread of the virus, help protect our most vulnerable people from being infected, and ensure our health system is able to manage extra demand for services.

This means getting vaccinated and boosted as soon as eligible as well as continuing to do the basics well – staying home if you’re unwell, wearing a mask, physical distancing, and scanning in using the NZ COVID Tracer app when you’re out and about.

Testing reminder

It is encouraging to see a high level of testing this week. However, it is important the right people get tested for the right reasons.

There is good testing capacity throughout the country, but unnecessary testing could delay results for those who urgently need them.

People should only get tested if they have cold or flu symptoms, if they have been at a location of interest, or if they have been asked to get tested by a health official.

We also want to reiterate our thanks to COVID-19 testing staff for their part in New Zealand’s defence against the virus.

We are anticipating continued high demand at our COVID-19 testing sites, so our request is to, please, be patient. Our frontline staff across the health sector are doing the best they can to help in a timely way.

For a full list of testing sites nationwide, visit the Healthpoint website.

Extension to Vaccination Order for health and disability sector

The deadline for the health and disability sector to have their vaccine booster under the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order has been extended until 11:59pm on Thursday 24 February 2022.

These new dates will also apply to any workers covered by the health mandated dates because of the work they undertake in Corrections, FENZ, Defence, Education and Police. 

Further information can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website.

The Ministry is continuing to work closely with the health and disability sector to support the booster uptake.

COVID-19 vaccine update 

• Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people aged 12 and over): 4,053,979 first doses (96%); 3,984,716 second doses (95%); 1,959,875 booster doses (61%). 
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 580 first doses; 1,233 second doses; 1,466 paediatric doses; 47,573 booster doses. 
• Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 516,443 first doses (90%); 493,073 second doses (86%). 
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 279,252 first doses (97%); 272,348 second doses (95%). 
• Paediatric vaccines administered to date (percentage of 5-11-year-olds): 216,256 first doses (45%) 
• Māori (percentage of eligible people aged 5-11): 30,368 first doses (26%) 
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 5-11): 17,863 first doses (36%) 

Vaccination rates for all DHBs (percentage of eligible people aged 12 +) 

• Northland DHB: First doses (90%); second doses (87%) 
• Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (97%); second doses (96%) 
• Waikato DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (93%) 
• Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (93%) 
• Lakes DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (91%) 
• MidCentral DHB: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) 
• Tairāwhiti DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (90%) 
• Whanganui DHB: First doses (92%); second doses (90%) 
• Hawke’s Bay: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) 
• Taranaki DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (93%) 
• Wairarapa DHB: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) 
• Capital and Coast DHB: First doses (99%); second doses (98%) 
• Hutt Valley DHB: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) 
• Nelson Marlborough DHB: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) 
• West Coast DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (91%) 
• Canterbury DHB: First doses (99%); second doses (98%) 
• South Canterbury DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (94%) 
• Southern DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (96%) 

Hospitalisations 

• Cases in hospital: Total Number 40: Whangārei: 1; North Shore: 4; Middlemore: 13; Auckland: 19; Wellington: 1, Christchurch: 2. 
• Average age of current hospitalisations: 59
• Cases in ICU or HDU: 0
• Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (2 cases / 5.9%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (N/A cases / 0%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (18 cases / 52.9%); unknown (14 cases / 41.2%).

Cases 

• Seven day rolling average of community cases: 541
• Seven day rolling average of border cases: 20
• Number of new community cases: 744
• Location of new community cases*: Northland (43), Auckland (535), Waikato (69), Bay of Plenty (8), Lakes (10), Hawke’s Bay (1), MidCentral (6), Taranaki (2), Tairāwhiti (7), Wairarapa (1), Capital and Coast (5), Hutt Valley (1), Nelson Marlborough (9), Canterbury (9), Southern (30).
• Number of new cases identified at the border: 19 (three of which are historical)
• Location of origin of border cases: Australia (1), Belgium (1), Singapore (1), United Arab Emirates (1), United States of America (1), Unknown (11).
• Number of active community cases (total): 5,636 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classified as recovered) 
• Confirmed cases (total): 21,949

* 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.

Tests 

• Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 21,070
• Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 21,742
• Number of Rapid Antigen Tests in New Zealand: 7.2 million