By the numbers: What’s happening with Covid-19 right now

Wednesday, 5 June 2024

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Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations have been increasing in recent weeks, prompting officials to say we may be experiencing another wave of the virus.
The most recent data shows reported cases are similar to last week, but hospitalisations were up.
It comes as hospitals and schools are reporting seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses, including flu, RSV, Covid-19 and rhinovirus, as winter is just kicking off.

There’s been a recent “sharp” increase in Covid-19 cases across New Zealand, just as winter is kicking off.

Health New Zealand say they’ve also seen a “steady increase” in the number of Covid-19 cases in hospital over the last fortnight, with approximately 386 Covid-19 positive cases in hospitals across the country as of Tuesday morning.

Here’s what the latest numbers tell us about the country’s current Covid-19 picture.

5142

Here’s what our reported Covid-19 case numbers are showing us at the moment.

The number of Covid-19 cases reported across the country, in the week ending June 3, Health New Zealand said on Tuesday afternoon.

This was down slightly on the week prior, when there were 6636 cases reported, but still higher than a few weeks ago.

This a self-reported figure, and is reliant on people out in the community who have swabbed at home using a rapid antigen test (RAT) reporting their result.

666

The seven-day rolling average number of new cases, in the week ending June 3.

This was down from 948 the week prior.

314

The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 as of midnight Sunday, according to Health New Zealand’s weekly Covid-19 data reporting.

There’s been a “steady increase” in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 over the past fortnight, Health New Zealand says.

This was up from 282 the same time last week.

3458

Of the total number of cases reported over the past seven days, 3458 - or 56% - were reinfections.

These are defined as cases in a person who had reported having Covid 29 or more days previously.

What’s been happening recently?

Dr Sharon Sime, medical officer of health - protection directorate at the National Public Health Service last week told Stuff there had been a “sharp” increase in Covid-19 cases.

Hospitals and schools say they’ve seen recent increases in winter illnesses, as expected for this time of year.

At that stage, Sime said the reporting suggested we were “at the beginning of another Covid-19 wave” — as levels in wastewater, hospitalisations for Covid-19, and reported case numbers had “all been increasing”.

National surveillance data in the week ending May 19 showed the level of SARS-CoV-2 detected in wastewater was at the highest level reported since December 2022.

At that stage, the level was at 10.48 million genome copies, per person per day. In the week ending May 26, this was sitting at 7.96m.

Hospitals and schools have reported seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses recently, with Covid-19, flu, rhinovirus (which causes the common cold) and RSV all circulating at once.

On Tuesday, Health New Zealand’s Duncan Bliss told Stuff that Covid-19 infections, plus other respiratory and infectious winter illnesses put pressure on both ED and in-hospital services.

There’s increased complexity in managing infectious patients, including isolation requirements, Bliss said, and hospitals have plans in place to manage “increased levels of infectious illnesses”.

GPs have also reported “seeing a lot” of Covid-19 recently.

Overall, the hospitalisation rate for severe acute respiratory infections remained in the “low activity” level in the week ending May 26.

Bliss said they strongly recommend people take precautions to prevent getting infected with Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

This included keeping up-to-date with vaccinations (including Covid-19, flu and pertussis, if eligible), and wearing a mask on public transport and in other indoor spaces where respiratory illnesses can spread easily.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported the Covid case number incorrectly after the Ministry of Health supplied the incorrect figure. (Amended: June 10, 2024, 1.05pm.)