There are 22,527 new Covid-19 cases in the community in New Zealand on Friday, the Ministry of Health has announced.
The positive cases, detected through rapid antigen tests (RAT) and PCR tests, are located in Northland (515), Auckland (13,252), Waikato (1674), Bay of Plenty (1248), Lakes (464), Hawke’s Bay (325), MidCentral (364), Whanganui (79), Taranaki (257), Tairāwhiti (155), Wairarapa (69), Capital and Coast (1356), Hutt Valley (577), Nelson Marlborough (304), Canterbury (1163), South Canterbury (63), Southern (632) and West Coast (16).
The location of 14 of the cases is unknown.
The ministry said 18,779 of Friday's cases were detected through RAT and 3748 through PCR tests. A total of 19,544 PCR tests were carried out in the last 24 hours.
The number of active community cases is 152,358. They were identified in the past 21 days but have not yet been classified as recovered.
There are 562 people in hospital with the virus, including 11 in an intensive care or high dependency unit.
The ministry also announced the deaths of five people with Covid-19.
A patient with Covid-19 had died at Tauranga Hospital on Thursday. They were in hospital for an unrelated condition but had tested positive for the virus.
A patient in Waikato Hospital had also died on Thursday. They died of an unrelated medical condition but had tested positive for Covid-19.
A person in Dunedin died of an unrelated medical condition on Thursday while receiving palliative care. They had tested positive for the virus.
562 people are in hospital, with 11 in intensive care. (Source: 1News)
Two patients with Covid-19 had died in Middlemore Hospital on February 27 and March 1. Both had unrelated medical conditions but had tested positive for Covid-19.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with these peoples’ family and friends," the ministry said in a statement.
"Out of respect for privacy, we will be making no further comment.
"Some of these deaths are only being announced today as they have only recently been notified in the ministry’s national reporting systems."
There are also eight cases at the border on Friday. The ministry said one of them was confirmed and the remainder were probable.
The ministry said it was seeing reports of symptomatic people testing negative for the virus in their initial test but then later returning a positive test.
"Our advice is that even if you receive a negative test, you should stay at home until well and retest if symptoms persist or worsen."
It said the priority for RATs remains those who are symptomatic or a household contact.
"Please do not order or request RATs from testing centres or collections sites unless you are unwell or a household contact. International travel pre-departure testing is not covered under the public health response. If you are well, you can still purchase RATs from one of a growing number of retailers which stock them."
On Thursday, 23,183 community cases were announced.
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