Mutant variant 'Pirola' causing alarm as New Zealand experts propose smart way to track virus.

Study released online ahead of peer review: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.14.23294060v1

#COVID19NZ @auscovid19

Source: https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/covid-19-mutant-variant-pirola-causing-alarm-as-nz-experts-propose-smart-way-to-track-virus/

🇳🇿New Zealand COVID weekly update: 14 August to 20 August 2023

🔹New cases: 3,953 (-1,419)
🔹Reinfections: 1,816 (45.94%)
🔹Deaths: 37 (+15)
🔹Hospital: 158 (-13)
🔹ICU: 5 (+1)

🔸45.94% were reinfections

🔸Last week NZ removed the last of its COVID protections.

Sadly, 37 deaths being reported today:

1 was aged between 10 and 19 years
2 were in their 30s
1 was in their 40s
2 were in their 50s
6 were in their 60s
6 were in their 70s
17 were in their 80s
2 were aged over 90

14 were women and 23 were men

#COVID19NZ

Data source: https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/our-health-system/data-and-statistics/covid-19-data/covid-19-current-cases/

#covid19nz

**Summary for 20 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 332 ( ↓ 96)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 597 ( ↓ 21)
* No hospital data

[reminder... covid restrictions removed on 14 Aug probably means far less testing/reporting so take these numbers with that in mind.]

Final chance to submit your thoughts to Pharmac re widening Paxlovid eligibility. Submission window closes Monday July 21 at 5pm. Especially important now that all protection measures have been dropped. #paxlovid #COVID9 #covid19nz #covidnz #longcovid #longcovidnz #nzpol #medicallyvulnerable
Proposal to change the access criteria for COVID-19 antiviral treatments - Pharmac | New Zealand Government
https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations-and-decisions/proposal-to-change-the-access-criteria-for-covid-19-antiviral-treatments/

#covid19nz

**Summary for 19 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 427 ( ↓ 44)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 618 ( ↓ 32)
* No hospital data

🇳🇿 New Zealand COVID: Most restaurants say they won’t make staff with COVID isolate.

"According to the industry group, just 39% say they will mandate a 5-day isolation period for employees with Covid, and 42% say they will make symptomatic staff take a test before coming to work."

#COVID19NZ @auscovid19

Source: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/most-restaurants-say-they-wont-make-staff-with-covid-isolate

#covid19nz

**Summary for 18 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 467 ( ↓ 59)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 650 ( ↓ 40)
* Hospitalisations: 149 ( ↓ 5)

Long Covid’s ‘missing thousands’ in NZ.

"New Zealand may have 100,000-150,000 people affected by Long Covid and ME, and of those, 85% will be moderately to very severely affected and needing significant support."

#COVID19NZ #LongCovid

Source: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/long-covids-missing-thousands-in-nz

#covid19nz

**Summary for 17 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 526 ( ↓ 46)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 689 ( ↓ 54)
* Hospitalisations: 154 ( ↑ 18)

#covid19nz

Has everyone already given up with testing?

**Summary for 16 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 572 ( ↓ 604)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 742 ( ↓ 49)
* Hospitalisations: 136 ( ↓ 1)

#covid19nz

**Summary for 15 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 1,176 ( ↑ 513)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 790 ( ↑ 25)
* Hospitalisations: 137 ( ↓ 34)

So I'm not posting the weekly active case summary any more, but at least for the next few days, I'll keep posting the daily summary.

New Zealand removes final COVID-19 restrictions.

Business groups welcomed the decision, while some public health experts questioned the Government’s rationale.

Professor Nick Wilson, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, said the Government was wrong to end isolation requirements.

“The Government is so keen to pretend it's all over, despite people dying daily in hospital. It’s not trivial,” he said.

“It’s still highly infectious. The average person is still infecting more than one other person. If they go to work, it will affect productivity,” he said.

#COVID19NZ @auscovid19

Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/132741197/the-end-of-covid-measures-chris-hipkins-longed-for-the-day-but-some-are-worried

Worst part of the #covid19nz thing today is how it appeals to the cooker and SovCit voter.

The biosecurity and public health impacts are made low by the already atrocious level of masking.

@soonleenz @currentbias instead of telling us that we should all be proud of the work we did, the govt should be bragging about all the clear-air standards/monitoring they've put in place, and the extended paid sick leave that they've mandated, and the extra safety measures in schools that they implemented.
Oh wait... they didn't do any of those things.
#covid19nz

Whatever you do, don't go on FB and read the comments under Unite Against Covid-19's latest post. You will lose any remaining shred of belief in human empathy.
#covid19nz

#covid19nz

**Summary for 14 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 663 ( ↑ 186)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 763 ( ↑ 17)
* Hospitalisations: 171 ( ↑ 18)

🇳🇿New Zealand COVID weekly update: 7 August to 13 August 2023

🔹New cases: 5,372 (+727)
🔹Reinfections: 2,736 (50.93%)
🔹Deaths: 22 (-3)
🔹Hospital: 171 (+11)
🔹ICU: 4 (-1)

🔸50.93% were reinfections

Sadly, of the 22 deaths being reported today:

2 were in their 30s
1 was in their 50s
1 was in their 60s
7 were in their 70s
6 were in their 80s
5 were aged over 90

Of these people, 7 were women and 15 were men.

#COVID19NZ

News source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300949739/covid19-number-of-reported-cases-increases-for-second-week-totalling-5372

Data source: https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/our-health-system/data-and-statistics/covid-19-data/covid-19-current-cases/

#covid19nz

**Summary for 13 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 478 ( ↓ 169)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 746 ( ↑ 9)
* No hospital data

#covid19nz

**Summary for 12 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 649 ( ↓ 99)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 738 ( ↑ 4)
* No hospital data

#covid19nz

**Summary for 11 Aug 2023**
* New Cases: 747 ( ↓ 151)
* Rolling 7-day avg: 733 ( ↑ 15)
* Hospitalisations: 153 ( ↓ 7)