There are 58 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. 74 people have recovered. 14 people are in hospital with two in intensive care in a stable condition.
The total number of cases is now 647.
Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield says that while the numbers are lower, we should not expect this decrease to continue for the next week or so. “Whilst this is a drop in the number, I have no sense that this is a drop overall. My expectation is that the number of cases will continue to increase.”
The lower number is partly due to the fact that there was a lower number of tests done on Sunday, he explains.
The Ministry of Health has also released a series of modelling reports. “They paint a sobering picture of what the impact of COVID-19 would be..if we were not taking a decisive and strict response.” The data shows evidence around location, gender, ethnicity and age of COVID-19 cases.
Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, Sarah Stuart-Black says “Kiwis are really uniting against COVID-19.” She outlines new work they are doing with local governments:
- Establish a COVID-19 local government support
- Expand support to help people access essentials, particularly for the disabled, at-risk and those without access to their own transport
- Replenishing stocks at food banks
Stuart-Black also advises around the use of wet wipes. “Wet wipes are a major problem for sewerage systems. Disposing of them down the toilet leads to blockage in the sewerage system,” she says. This includes “flushable” wipes and advises everyone to dispose of them in the bin.
Stuart-Black says there have been issues with people congregating in groups in parks, beaches and public places. She reminds people not to take children to playgrounds and advises against the Kiwi tradition of “passing something over the fence to your neighbour”.
