Today we are reporting 14,175 community cases, 841 hospitalisations and 20 deaths. It’s encouraging to see the total number of cases in hospital dropping.
This is driven by a decrease in hospitalisations across Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, some of the first regions to be affected by Omicron.
However, every hospitalisation is a reminder of the importance of getting vaccinated to prevent severe illness from COVID-19.
Vaccine effectiveness for Omicron declines after your second dose, however, a booster restores it to about 90%. Our best protection both for ourselves, and for our whānau, is to be up to date with vaccinations – which includes a booster.