Two community cases of the new Covid-19 subvariant BA.2.75 have been found in New Zealand for the first time.
The two cases were discovered in Auckland and both can be linked to previous cases detected at the border.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says it brings BA.2.75 cases detected in the country to eight, with six previously being picked up at the border.
The two community cases are isolating at home.
"At this stage we don’t see any need to change public health settings," Bloomfield said on Tuesday.
He added the subvariant does have characteristics that allow it to evade immunity, but there is no current evidence it is more severe.
BA.2.75 was first found in early June in India and has spread to at least 17 countries.
Ashley Bloomfield said there were 21 new deaths of people with Covid-19 to report on Tuesday. (Source: 1News)
It comes amid a winter Covid surge driven by the BA.5 subvariant.
"This is entirely consistent with what is happening in Australia and many northern hemisphere countries," Bloomfield said.
Hospitalisation rates for the week ending July 17 increased by 28%, and nearly one in 20 patients admitted to hospital have Covid.
"Overall, in recent weeks there have been rapidly increasing case rates, which have slowed over the past week, but we are treating that with caution," Bloomfield said.
"Modelling shows there will be another increase in cases and hospitalisations.
"Case rates and wastewater results again show cases are increasing across all regions of New Zealand."
He says rates of Covid are "particularly high" in people over 65 and cases are increasing in residential care.
There are 10,772 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand on Tuesday.
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