Watch Live: Update on new COVID-19 community cases
The Ministry of Health has announced 39 new cases of Covid-19 in the community and the death of a person with the virus at Middlemore Hospital.
Director of public health Dr Caroline McElnay said the Ministry would like to recognise the family’s loss and offer their deepest sympathies.
Of the new cases, 30 are in Auckland and nine are in Waikato. Two of the new cases reside outside the Alert level 3 boundary in place.
Waikato District Health Board says a patient visited its ED last Friday night and has now tested positive for Covid-19. They were asymptomatic at the time and correctly screened, but some ED staff have been stood down and Public health staff are investigating.
McElnay says there continues to be exposure events, but that is expected.
Only one of today's cases is yet to be epidemiologically linked to the current outbreak, and of yesterday's cases, only four are unlinked.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says in response to the ongoing Delta outbreak, the Ministry of Health is advising New Zealanders to consider a shorter gap between doses of the Pfizer vaccine than the current standard of six weeks.
"Reducing the gap between doses to at least three weeks means more people can be fully vaccinated sooner, increasing our community immunity. The two doses of the Pfizer vaccine must be given at least three weeks apart."
In August the standard gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine was extended from three weeks to six weeks to allow us to give one dose (partial protection) to a larger number of people faster.
"Since that time the Delta outbreak has increased the risk of contracting Covid-19 for everyone in New Zealand and increased the urgency for people to be vaccinated as soon as possible."
Hipkins says the Government is dedicating Saturday, October 16 as a national day to get as many people as possible vaccinated.
"This will culminate in a national day for vaccination on Saturday, October 16 - Super Saturday. On that day, we will have vaccine clinics open all through Aotearoa all day and into the evening and a bit like election day, we will be asking all our civic and political leaders to contribute to a big effort to turn people out."
"My request to everybody is this: Pitch in and get this done."
A website will be going live later today with information about Super Saturday.
