More than a third of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in New Zealand are unvaccinated.
The Ministry of Health has released its most up to date vaccine date, saying 21 people are currently in hospital with the virus. One person is in ICU.
The hospitalised patients are in Auckland City (eight), Middlemore (seven), and North Shore (six).
The vaccine status of hospitalised patients is:
- Unvaccinated or not eligible: seven cases or 37 percent
- Partially immunised, meaning it's less than seven days after second dose or has only received one dose: two cases or 10 percent
- Fully vaccinated for at least seven days before being reported as a case: nine cases or 47 percent
- Unknown: one case or 5 percent.
The above case numbers only add to 19 though, and the Ministry of Health says this is because vaccination status represents hospitalised people who have been admitted.
READ MORE
- Anti-vaxx doctor Jonie Girouard's chocolate business faces investigation by MPI over sugar substitute
- US anti-vaxx leader Christopher Key urges followers to drink their own urine to cure COVID
- NZ must stock up on rapid antigen tests, 'boost like crazy' before Omicron spreads
"There are two additional people in ED in the Northern region [Northland and Auckland's three DHBs] reported today which are not included in the hospitalisation status of cases," the ministry tells Newshub.
The number of hospitalised people in New Zealand has continued to drop in recent weeks. Last Wednesday there were 34 receiving hospital-level care, 38 the week prior to that, and 44 three weeks ago.
The country's vaccination numbers are rising. So far, 95 percent of Kiwis aged 12 and over have received their first dose and 93 percent are fully vaccinated. A total of 864,929 booster doses have also been administered, which is roughly 20 percent of the eligible population.
Nearly 40,000 children aged between five and 11 have received their first dose too.
