The Ministry of Health has reported 163 new cases in the community, taking the outbreak total to 4,034.
Four of these are in Waikato and the rest are in Auckland.
The Waikato cases were found in Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Ngāruawāhia and Te Kuiti. The ministry says the Hamilton and Te Awamutu cases were known contacts and isolating before testing positive. The Ngāruawāhia case has now been linked to previous cases. The case in Te Kuiti is expected to be interviewed today to investigate any links.
Some 61 of today's cases have been linked, and 102 cases are yet to be linked, with investigations underway.
A second death of someone with Covid isolating at home came this morning after St John’s Ambulance staff attended a call this morning to an address in Mt Eden, Auckland, and found the person dead on arrival.
The man, who was in his fifties, is understood to have been recently treated in hospital. Health authorities will be working with police and St John's to review the circumstances around the death.
Both deaths are being investigated as part of a wider joint systemic review, run by the Ministry of Health and Auckland district health boards, of the home isolation system for Covid-19 patients, to identify any improvements needed.
Both deaths will be examined by the Coroner.
The average age of current hospitalisations remains at 51, with 69 people now in hospital with Covid-19/ There are 18 in North Shore, 23 in Middlemore, 26 in Auckland, one in Waikato and one in Waitematā hospitals. Six people are now in ICU.
Two cases were found at the border and they are now in managed isolation.
Ports of Auckland
It has been established that two crew members of a ship docked in Auckland, who initially tested positive for Covid-19, did so because of historical infections.
They were tested on Tuesday as part of a vaccination and testing programme and underwent further testing this morning, which confirmed that both cases are historical.
Taranaki wastewater
Overnight the Ministry of Health was notified of a positive wastewater detection for Covid-19 from a sample collected in Stratford on Monday.
At this stage, the detection is not linked to any known active or recovering cases in Taranaki. This means there may be undetected cases of Covid-19 in the community.
Additional follow-up wastewater samples will be taken throughout the region in the coming days.
It is possible the wastewater detection is linked to a historical case continuing to shed the virus.
Testing is available in Stratford today at the following locations:
- The War Memorial car park, 55 Miranda Street, Stratford
- The Avon Medical Centre, 8 Romeo Street, Stratford.
Vaccination update
In Waikato, 2,958 vaccinations were delivered yesterday. Northland saw 378 first doses administered, while Auckland saw 1,580 first doses given out.
A total of 26,058 doses were given out across the country, with 6,646 doses being first jabs.
Overall, 3,738,116 first doses (89%) and 3,241,509 second doses (77%) have been given out across the country.