Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand |
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The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand during 2024.
Data about the previous day is extracted from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research's database at 9:00 am weekly and is publicly released by the Ministry of Health around 1:00 pm on Monday weekly.
Date | Cases | Reinfections | Recoveries | Deaths | Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | ||
8 | 6,558 | 2,554,013 | 3,999 | 312,051 | 6,258 | 2,543,814 | 22 | 3,645 | [6] |
15 | 8,040 | 2,562,053 | 4,992 | 317,043 | 6,497 | 2,550,311 | 77 | 3,722 | [7] |
22 | 7,019 | 2,569,056 | 4,361 | 321,400 | 8,031 | 2,558,342 | 26 | 3,748 | [8] |
29 | 5,757 | 2,574,813 | 3,609 | 325,010 | 6,951 | 2,565,293 | 20 | 3,768 | [9] |
On 12 January, epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker reported that the fifth wave of COVID-19 had seen a surge in cases over the 2023–2024 summer holiday period. The new Omicron subvariant JN.1 was the fastest growing variant, accounting for 14% of sequenced cases in the week leading up to 15 December 2023. As of 7 January, there were 355 COVID-19 patients in hospital and six in intensive care. [10]
On 15 January, 324 COVID-19 patients were hospitalised with six being in intensive care. [11]
On 23 January, 343 patients were in hospital while the seven-day rolling average was 995. [12]
On 26 January, the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) reported that COVID-19 wastewater figures had declined over the past two weeks leading up to 21 January. During the first week of January, COVID-19 wastewater figures had averaged 8.46 million genome copies per person per day (GC/p/d). By 21 January, this had declined to 3.76 million GC/p/d. [13]
On 31 January, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti extended the Government's provision of free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to late June 2024. [14]
Date | Cases | Reinfections | Recoveries | Deaths | Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | ||
5 | 5,555 | 2,580,365 | 3,555 | 328,562 | 5,739 | 2,571,032 | 20 | 3,788 | [15] |
12 | 5,878 | 2,586,241 | 3,807 | 332,269 | 5,539 | 2,576,571 | 15 | 3,803 | [16] |
19 | 6,312 | 2,592,549 | 4,077 | 336,444 | 5,855 | 2,582,426 | 14 | 3,817 | [17] |
26 | 6,084 | 2,598,630 | 3,935 | 340,378 | 6,592 | 2,588,718 | 20 | 3,837 | [18] |
On 2 February, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke Van Velden confirmed that the Government would expand the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned. Public consultation on the expanded topics is expected to commence later in the month. [19]
On 5 February, Rangiora High School closed for one day after 30 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. [20]
On 12 February, there were 245 cases in hospital. There was a seven day rolling average of 838 per day. [21]
On 19 February, there were 205 case in hospital. There was a seven day rolling average of 901 per day. [22]
Date | Cases | Reinfections | Recoveries | Deaths | Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | ||
4 | 5,575 | 2,604,202 | 3,597 | 343,973 | 6,057 | 2,594,775 | 21 | 3,858 | [23] |
11 | 4,803 | 2,609,005 | 3,118 | 347,091 | 5,550 | 2,600,325 | 24 | 3,882 | [24] |
18 | 4,666 | 2,613,670 | 3,012 | 350,103 | 4,777 | 2,613,670 | 20 | 3,902 | [25] |
25 | 4,042 | 2,617,772 | 2,535 | 352,638 | 4,653 | 2,609,755 | 14 | 3,916 | [26] |
On 4 March, Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) issued an advisory that household contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals no longer needed to test daily unless they developed COVID-19 symptoms. [27]
Date | Cases | Reinfections | Recoveries | Deaths | Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | New | Total | ||
1 | 3,399 | 2,621,111 | 2,068 | 354,706 | 4,076 | 2,613,791 | 7 | 3,923 | [28] |
8 | 3,385 | 2,624,496 | 2,109 | 356,816 | 3,391 | 2,617,182 | 13 | 3,936 | [29] |
15 | 2,618 | 2,627,114 | 1,634 | 358,450 | 3,370 | 2,620,552 | 8 | 3,944 | [30] |
23 | 2,383 | 2,629,496 | 1,490 | 359,939 | 2,602 | 2,623,154 | 21 | 3,965 | [31] |
On 15 April, the University of Washington's latest Global Burden of Disease study reported that the all-age mortality rate between 2020 and 2021 was negative in New Zealand and six other countries including Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, Iceland, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados. In 2021, New Zealand and Barbados were the only two countries with negative excess mortality. University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker attributed the country's negative excess mortality rate to its elimination strategy during that period, which kept Covid numbers down until vaccines became widely available. In 2022, the death toll rose by 10.2% compared with the previous year due to the relaxation of pandemic restrictions and the concurrent outbreak of the Omicron variant. By 2024, nearly 6,000 New Zealanders had died with COVID-19. [32]
Dunedin Hospital is the main public hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. It serves as the major base hospital for the Otago and Southland regions with a potential catchment radius of roughly 300 kilometres, and a population of around 300,000.
Michael George Baker is an epidemiologist with the University of Otago. Baker is a member of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority's Academy and of the New Zealand Ministry of Health's Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group (PITAG).
The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand was part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case of the disease in New Zealand was reported on 28 February 2020. The country recorded over 2,274,370 cases. Over 3,000 people died as a result of the pandemic, with cases recorded in all twenty district health board (DHB) areas. The pandemic first peaked in early April 2020, with 89 new cases recorded per day and 929 active cases. Cases peaked again in October 2021 with 134 new cases reported on 22 October.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Oceania on 25 January 2020 with the first confirmed case reported in Melbourne, Australia. The virus has spread to all sovereign states and territories in the region. Australia and New Zealand were praised for their handling of the pandemic in comparison to other Western nations, with New Zealand and each state in Australia wiping out all community transmission of the virus several times even after re-introduction in the community.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia on 18 March 2020. All cases are on the main island of Grand Terre and are related to travel abroad. On 7 May, all cases had recovered.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Cook Islands is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As of 30 October 2021, 12,841 first doses and 12,498 second doses of vaccine had been administered, which represents over 97% of the eligible population (12+) fully vaccinated.
The New Zealand Government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in various ways. In early February 2020, the Government imposed travel restrictions on China in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic originating in Wuhan and also repatriated citizens and residents from Wuhan. Following the country's first case which originated in Iran, the Government imposed travel restrictions on Iran.
The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand has had far-reaching consequences on the country that went beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to eliminate it, including education, faith communities, Māori, mass gatherings, sports, recreation, and travel. In addition, there were several recorded cases of lockdown violations, leaks, and misinformation about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021, and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent, caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September, anyone in New Zealand, regardless of their immigration status, is eligible to be vaccinated.
This article documents the timeline of transmission of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand throughout 2021. The following dates and times are in New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13) until 3 April and New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12) from 4 April.
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Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora is the primary publicly funded healthcare system of New Zealand. It was established by the New Zealand Government to replace the country's 20 district health boards (DHBs) on 1 July 2022. Te Whatu Ora is charged with working alongside the Public Health Agency and Te Aka Whai Ora to manage the provision of healthcare services in New Zealand. Margie Apa was appointed chief executive of Te Whatu Ora in December 2021.
Te Aka Whai Ora was an independent New Zealand government statutory entity tasked with managing Māori health policies, services, and outcomes. The agency was one of four national bodies that oversee New Zealand's health system since 2022, along with the Ministry of Health, the Public Health Agency, and Te Whatu Ora. They replaced a system in which a single Ministry funded services through 20 district health boards (DHBs).
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Rodney Thornton Jackson is a New Zealand medically trained epidemiologist who has had lead roles in publicly funded research focussing on systems to effectively identify risk factors in the epidemiology of chronic diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This involved linking large cohort studies to regional and national electronic health databases and enabling the generation of new risk-prevention equations using web-based tools, such as the PREDICT model, to implement, monitor and improve risk assessment and management guidelines. Research on asthma in which Jackson participated influenced decisions made by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and he has contributed to public debate on dietary risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. Following an evidence-based approach to identification of disparities in medical outcomes for different groups within the New Zealand population, Jackson took a position on racism in the medical sector. In 2020, he became a frequent commentator in the media on the approach of the New Zealand government to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1999, Jackson has been professor of epidemiology at the University of Auckland.
Dion O'Neale is a New Zealand applied mathematician who specialises in the area of complex systems and network science. His work involves the analysis of empirical data to inform computer simulations to predict how interacting parts and structures of networks can affect the dynamics and properties of systems. During COVID-19, O'Neale created mathematical models to build understanding of how the network of interractions of the virus was spread, and during this period, was a frequent commentator in the New Zealand media about the country's response to the pandemic. He is a senior lecturer in physics at Auckland University, principal investigator at Te Pūnaha Matatini and Project Lead of COVID-19 Modelling Aotearoa.
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This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2023. The first human cases of COVID-19 were identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
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