Podcasts about health dr ashley bloomfield

'Kia ora koutou katoa' - a phrase Dr Ashley Bloomfield uttered more than 300 times as he fronted Covid media conferences through the last two and a half years. His image was turned into tea towels and tote bags, as he became something of a cult figure during the pandemic. Today's his last day in the job, leaving the role he says he has 'given his all' . Samuel Rillstone reports.  

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has been in charge at the Ministry of Health during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now he's leaving his post - one year early. At the same time, the country is embarking on a dramatic reshaping of its health system. At a media standup yesterday, Dr Andrew Old, Deputy Director-General of the new Public Health Agency, paid tribute to Dr Bloomfield. During his tenure Dr Bloomfield was something of a cultural phenomenon. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Latest figures show there are more than 53,000 active cases of Covid-19 in the community. This takes New Zealand's total of recorded cases since the start of the pandemic to well over one million. The country is fast approaching 1000 deaths. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the number of cases currently being reported is likely to be half of the true number. So, with these rising numbers do we need stricter measures to tackle the virus? Te Punaha Matatini contagion modeller Dr Dion O'Neale spoke to Corin Dann.

I don't consider myself to have been affected at all by the MIQ system that has operated here in New Zealand for pretty much the last couple of years. I've got a brother in London who possibly would have visited if MIQ wasn't operating. But I don't have a heartbreaking story, like many other people do, when it comes to the MIQ requirements keeping them separated from friends and families during tragic and stressful times in their lives. And so maybe that's why I'm not going to be jumping on the bandwagon and condemning the Government over the news that it may have kept the MIQ system running longer than it needed to. 15 weeks longer.  The Government's getting a truckload of flak over the revelation that it was told in November last year that MIQ was no longer needed, but kept it going anyway for another three-and-a-half months. And it's a truckload of flak that I don't think is justified.  In November last year, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay told Cabinet that they thought the risk of getting Covid from someone coming here from overseas was no greater than the risk of getting it from someone already here.  Essentially, they were telling Cabinet that MIQ had served its purpose and they didn't think it was needed any longer. But the Government didn't do anything, and kept the MIQ rules in place for another 15 weeks – and it was March before any changes finally happened What that meant, was that there were about 40,000 more MIQ stays than there might have been if the Government had acted straight away when it got the advice in November. 40,000 stays and seven online lotteries which these people had to take part in to get their spot in MIQ. A lot of stress, a lot of heartache – which, on the face of it, was totally unnecessary. And they are the five key words here – “on the face of it”. On the face of it, the Government ignored the advice – and that's why people are jumping up and down. But there's more to it – much more to it – and I think the Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson explained it well when he spoke with Tim Dower this morning. He said Cabinet was told on November 15 last year by Ashley Bloomfield and Caroline McElnay that they thought MIQ wasn't needed because of the reason I mentioned earlier – that we had just as much a chance of getting Covid from someone already here, as we did of getting it from someone coming into New Zealand from overseas. But he also said that Bloomfield and McElnay emphasised to Cabinet that any change would have to be carefully managed and that they themselves wanted their advice peer reviewed just to double check that they were on the right track. As Grant Robertson said this morning – Ashley Bloomfield knew full well, that once they got rid of MIQ there'd be no going back. So, Cabinet said “yes, get the peer review” and that's what Ashley Bloomfield did. And the advice that came back from that was that if New Zealand was going to do away with MIQ it had to think carefully about the risk of more people coming through the borders, it needed to check that its testing processes were up to scratch, it needed to be sure that vulnerable people wouldn't be put at unnecessary risk by MIQ shutting up shop. All common sense stuff. And so, on the back of that, the Government decided it would do away with MIQ in January – but then Omicron arrived and it was pushed out another month. As I say, this all makes perfect sense to me. But it doesn't seem to be making perfect sense to everybody. And that probably will be because some people suffered terribly because of MIQ. It will also be because some people just won't believe anything the Government says – and I don't necessarily blame them because, as we know, this current government isn't as transparent and open as it says it is. The fact that this information has only come out today – well, that's not open and transparent as far as I'm concerned. Nevertheless...

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the death of a teenager after having the Covid vaccine is "very sad" and "quite sudden". He says the Covid Independent Safety Monitoring Board found the death is likely vaccine-related but there is still some doubt. Dr Bloomfield also passed on a message from the teenager's family.

The nation will soon bid farewell to one of our most celebrated public servants, the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Dr Bloomfield is stepping down at the end of July- a year earlier than schedules. President of the NZ institute of Medical Laboratory Science, Terry Taylor has a direct line to the Director General and told Karyn about his sadness with the early departure.

From August, the 1pm press conferences won't be the same, after Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced he'll step down at the end of July. Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins has heaped praise on Dr Bloomfield, crediting him with saving thousands of lives. Here's our poltiical reporter, Katie Scotcher.

The future of the country's Covid-19 restrictions will be revealed by the Prime Minister today. This comes as latest figures indicate the current Covid-19 outbreak is past its peak in Auckland and is slowing down in the rest of the country. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says New Zealanders need to be prepared for further Omicron waves and new variants. Te Punaha Matatini principal investigator Dr Dion O'Neale spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Nurses are being paid $500 per night to work an evening shift as the staffing crisis around the health sector continues under Omicron. Hospitalisations and deaths associated with the Covid-19 pandemic are continuing to rise. On Wednesday there were 971 hospitalisations and 24 deaths, taking the total number of publicly reported deaths to 141. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the Auckland hospital numbers should have peaked, where staffing is tighest.

If you haven't had your booster yet, in the eyes of the Ministry of Health you're not considered fully vaccinated against Covid-19.  Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced this today. So far just 73 percent of eligible people have had the booster – and one public health lecturer thinks the booster is in need of a rebrand to lift rates. Colin Tukuitonga from the University of Auckland joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVE 

Chris Hipkins is vowing to get to the bottom of the Covid-19 testing debacle.  It comes after Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield apologised for overestimating the testing capacity of our labs.  It meant tens of thousands of swabs were left unprocessed for more than five days, with some even being sent to Queensland.  The Covid-19 Response Minister told Mike Hosking he'll be looking into it. “The information we were given wasn't an accurate portrayal of their testing capacity and we will certainly get to the bottom of that in due course.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people are being told to get retested for Covid-19 after an overwhelmed lab system failed when the Omicron wave hit. It's been revealed tens of thousand of people have been waiting more than five days for their Covid PCR results, not knowing if they're infected or not. The news comes on a day where community cases clocked 19,566. 373 people are in hospital and nine of them in ICU. As the 1pm press conference made a surprise comeback, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confessed they'd over-estimated how many tests the lab network could actually process once Omicron took off. And 9000 samples had to be sent to Queensland over the weekend. Jake McKee reports.

The Covid-19 response minister says he will seek answers as to why the Ministry of Health gave incorrect advice on its testing ability. The Ministry is under pressure for over-estimating how many Covid-19 PCR tests labs could process, and now there's a backlog of 32,000 tests that are at least five days old. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told a media conference on Tuesday the ministry had overestimated the amount of capacity labs would have once the Omicron outbreak took off. "Once the samples were in the lab it's hard to take them out and redistribute them, so we still had capacity across the network but we didn't have the opportunity to redistribute them and probably if we'd started to do that a day or two earlier, then we may still have had a backlog but perhaps not such a big one." On Wednesday Minister Chris Hipkins told Morning Report the government had been wanting advice on capacity throughout the Omicron outbreak  "It's certainly something that we have been asking and that we've been getting advice on, all of the machines across the country and all of the people across the country and doing our own manual reconciliation. "I think we have to rely on the advice that we're getting, clearly the advice that we were getting here didn't tally up with the reality." Hipkins says he is not satisfied with the information he was given. 

The government has announced a significant boost in the number available with millions arriving in the country over the weekend. By Monday, the totally supply of rapid antigen tests will be more than 22 million. Something the health sector is hoping will take the pressure off struggling testing centres and GP clinics. Corin Dann spoke to Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

The country will move to phase two of the Omicron plan at one minjute to midnight tonight - so just how disruptive are the next few weeks expected to be? Despite nearly 5000 active covid cases schools and businesses will remain open. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the country is moving to the "manage it" phase. The Prime Minister says the measures in the next phase are designed to minimise disruption to households and businesses. In phase two, the self-isolation period for cases reduces from 14 days to 10 days, and for contacts from 10 days to seven. The period of self isolation also applies to household members. She says as cases in the community increase, the government will not be able to provide a place for everyone to go into isolation. Close contacts of cases can expect to be notified by text message. Dr Bloomfield says the scope of who is a close contact will also change in some circumstances. The advice for anyone experiencing symptoms that get worse during isolation - particularly breathlessness - is unchanged -  call Healthline immediately.  

The government has outlined its staged approach to the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is already in the community. There were 56 new cases on Wednesday. As infections spread, the isolation period for cases and close contacts reduces to 10 and seven days respectively, at phase two and three. Also in phase three - when there will be thousands of cases a day - the definition of close contacts who need to isolate will be narrowed down. Critical workers who are contacts of infected people will be able to bypass isolation and get back on the job as long as they return a negative rapid antigen test. But details are short on the chosen businesses and the other thing that's short is the supply of rapid antigen tests. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield talks to Lisa Owen.

Omicron has arrived in New Zealand - carried to a Christchurch MIQ facility by a recent returnee. The case arrived on a flight from Germany - via Dubai - and landed in Auckland before being transferred to Ōtautahi on a chartered domestic flight. The Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says everyone on that flight is considered a close contact.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is defending the timeframe to get Covid-19 vaccinations for children approved and rolled out. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday he expects the under-12s vaccine to be approved and its rollout to start from late January, around the start of the school year. Bloomfield said they are still waiting on the advice from Medsafe, and it cannot be rushed. "They need to be given time to make sure that process is done thoroughly." He said the summer period would see a lot of families moving around, which would make getting vaccinated difficult. On top of this, vaccinators have been working hard throughout the year and he said they deserve a break. He said administering the vaccine to children requires vaccinators to be trained to use it, as it is a slightly different formulation and a different vial. The discussion on vaccines comes as two Nelson schools have been forced to close after staff members tested positive for Covid-19. One person at Enner Glynn School who got a positive result back yesterday had been infectious since Monday. Broadgreen Intermediate has also told parents it has one case, who was infectious from last Thursday. Dr Bloomfield said a lockdown is not on the cards for Nelson at this stage.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is defending the timeframe to get Covid-19 vaccinations for children approved and rolled out. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday he expects the under-12s vaccine to be approved and its rollout to start from late January, around the start of the school year. Bloomfield said they are still waiting on the advice from Medsafe, and it cannot be rushed. "They need to be given time to make sure that process is done thoroughly." He said the summer period would see a lot of families moving around, which would make getting vaccinated difficult. On top of this, vaccinators have been working hard throughout the year and he said they deserve a break. He said administering the vaccine to children requires vaccinators to be trained to use it, as it is a slightly different formulation and a different vial. The discussion on vaccines comes as two Nelson schools have been forced to close after staff members tested positive for Covid-19. One person at Enner Glynn School who got a positive result back yesterday had been infectious since Monday. Broadgreen Intermediate has also told parents it has one case, who was infectious from last Thursday. Dr Bloomfield said a lockdown is not on the cards for Nelson at this stage.

The Ministry of Health has doubled down in not granting access to Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency data on the vaccination status of Māori - despite a high court ruling urging the Ministry to reconsider.  The agency has been seeking contact details for all unvaccinated Māori in the North Island so it can target areas with low uptake, when it embarks on a vaccination drive. In a letter to the North Island commissioning agency, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the ministry's view is that if they released that breadth of data it would not be effective in other areas, due to variations in Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency coverage.  Māori news director Māni Dunlop spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Alert level 3 restrictions are sticking around in parts of Waikato until at least the end of next Wedneday - the same day the decision will also be reviewed. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is calling for more people in the region to get tested for Covid-19, despite the Waikato District Health Board saying the 3000 swabs on Wednesday are far above normal rates. Many of the Waikato cases this week have been in Te Awamutu, the main hub of the Waipā District - Eight yesterday, two on Wednesday and six on Tuesday. Waipā District Mayor Jim Mylchreest spoke to Corin Dann.

Alert level 3 restrictions are sticking around in parts of Waikato until at least the end of next Wedneday - the same day the decision will also be reviewed. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is calling for more people in the region to get tested for Covid-19, despite the Waikato District Health Board saying the 3000 swabs on Wednesday are far above normal rates. Many of the Waikato cases this week have been in Te Awamutu, the main hub of the Waipā District - Eight yesterday, two on Wednesday and six on Tuesday. Waipā District Mayor Jim Mylchreest spoke to Corin Dann.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the Ministry of Health expects it will take Auckland just over a month before 90 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Around 70 percent of the region is fully vaccinated now, with close to 90 percent having had one dose. "It will take the next few days to get up to 90 pecent [single dose]," Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report. "Then we've got that gap of at least three weeks. For most people at the moment, it's about three to four weeks for that second dose." Dr Bloomfield said while 90 percent has always been the aim, it's by no means the end and there's plenty of opportunity for more people to get vaccinated. "It's not just a figure, it's not just a target, it's a milestone, because we don't stop there, we keep going, everything, every vaccination above 90 percent, adds additional protection." He said the Ministry of Health believes the R number for the virus is around 1.2 or 1.3 and case numbers are still going to go up. "The best way to keep them down as low as possible is for people to keep abiding by those alert level three restrictions. That's fundamental." Auckland's border is expected to remain in place for some time until vaccination rates improve in other parts of the country. Bloomfield said the hard border is doing a good job at protecting vulnerable communities where the rates aren't tracking as well. "It's largely confined the cases to Auckland, which is great, and it means we can take that ongoing elimination approach outside of Auckland. "The Prime Minister did signal a week or two back that the intention is to keep that boundary for the time being. I think there's good rationale for that, if we can avoid the cases leaking out of Auckland as much as possible, that serves everybody." He says the whole country needs to be at 90 percent or more for optimal protection.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the Ministry of Health expects it will take Auckland just over a month before 90 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Around 70 percent of the region is fully vaccinated now, with close to 90 percent having had one dose. "It will take the next few days to get up to 90 pecent [single dose]," Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report. "Then we've got that gap of at least three weeks. For most people at the moment, it's about three to four weeks for that second dose." Dr Bloomfield said while 90 percent has always been the aim, it's by no means the end and there's plenty of opportunity for more people to get vaccinated. "It's not just a figure, it's not just a target, it's a milestone, because we don't stop there, we keep going, everything, every vaccination above 90 percent, adds additional protection." He said the Ministry of Health believes the R number for the virus is around 1.2 or 1.3 and case numbers are still going to go up. "The best way to keep them down as low as possible is for people to keep abiding by those alert level three restrictions. That's fundamental." Auckland's border is expected to remain in place for some time until vaccination rates improve in other parts of the country. Bloomfield said the hard border is doing a good job at protecting vulnerable communities where the rates aren't tracking as well. "It's largely confined the cases to Auckland, which is great, and it means we can take that ongoing elimination approach outside of Auckland. "The Prime Minister did signal a week or two back that the intention is to keep that boundary for the time being. I think there's good rationale for that, if we can avoid the cases leaking out of Auckland as much as possible, that serves everybody." He says the whole country needs to be at 90 percent or more for optimal protection.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield joins the show as the country's first ever 'vaxathon' takes place  with the target of getting a further 100,000 eligible people vaccinated with either their first or second dose.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield joins the show as the country's first ever 'vaxathon' takes place  with the target of getting a further 100,000 eligible people vaccinated with either their first or second dose.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says vaccinated people may be able to self-isolate for a shorter period if they catch Covid-19. It comes as Auckland's Covid-19 Delta variant oubreak grows and threatens to overwhelm contact tracing and isolation services. Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report vaccinated people are likely to be infectious for a shorter period of time. "They're less likely to pass on the virus, and if they are infectious they are infectious for a shorter period. "Therefore, especially if they're asymptomatic, then they would only require a shorter period at home, whereas those who are unvaccinated, even if they don't have symptoms, are more likely to pass on the virus. "They would need to remain isolated to avoid passing it on to others for a longer period." The outbreak has overwhelmingly affected the unvaccinated, Dr Bloomfield said only 4 percent of cases were fully vaccinated. "Some had a single vaccination, but the vast majority hadn't had one vaccine. "Then if you look at hospitalizations, just three of I think around 170 hospitalizations were in people who are fully vaccinated, so it's highly protective." Ministry of Health director of public health Dr Caroline McElnay said contact tracing services would be overwhelmed at around 160 or 170 new cases of the disease every day. Seventy-one new cases were announced on Thursday. Dr Bloomfield said if that happened authorities would not stop contact tracing. "We'd move to using a different range of processes for getting messages out to people who are contacts. "Rather than them all being personally contacted we will be sending alerts out through the app. We might have businesses or other organisations where those contacts were just follow them up and make sure they were staying home and isolating. "Of course our great hope is that as many of those contacts as possible are fully vaccinated, then their period of isolation is likely to be shorter and of course they will just have mild, if at all, any symptoms and be able to be looked after at home."

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says vaccinated people may be able to self-isolate for a shorter period if they catch Covid-19. It comes as Auckland's Covid-19 Delta variant oubreak grows and threatens to overwhelm contact tracing and isolation services. Dr Bloomfield told Morning Report vaccinated people are likely to be infectious for a shorter period of time. "They're less likely to pass on the virus, and if they are infectious they are infectious for a shorter period. "Therefore, especially if they're asymptomatic, then they would only require a shorter period at home, whereas those who are unvaccinated, even if they don't have symptoms, are more likely to pass on the virus. "They would need to remain isolated to avoid passing it on to others for a longer period." The outbreak has overwhelmingly affected the unvaccinated, Dr Bloomfield said only 4 percent of cases were fully vaccinated. "Some had a single vaccination, but the vast majority hadn't had one vaccine. "Then if you look at hospitalizations, just three of I think around 170 hospitalizations were in people who are fully vaccinated, so it's highly protective." Ministry of Health director of public health Dr Caroline McElnay said contact tracing services would be overwhelmed at around 160 or 170 new cases of the disease every day. Seventy-one new cases were announced on Thursday. Dr Bloomfield said if that happened authorities would not stop contact tracing. "We'd move to using a different range of processes for getting messages out to people who are contacts. "Rather than them all being personally contacted we will be sending alerts out through the app. We might have businesses or other organisations where those contacts were just follow them up and make sure they were staying home and isolating. "Of course our great hope is that as many of those contacts as possible are fully vaccinated, then their period of isolation is likely to be shorter and of course they will just have mild, if at all, any symptoms and be able to be looked after at home."

A Far North District Councillor is pleading for the women who travelled through Northland after crossing the Auckland border to open up about where they have been. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has said a woman who had travelled to Northland with another woman who tested positive for Covid-19 will be interviewed this morning. Dr Bloomfield said the woman was showing symptoms of Covid 19 when she was found by the police last night, and has been tested with results due this morning. She is understood to have spent two to three days in Northland - but has not co-operated with officials on locations of interest. Far North District Councillor Kelly Stratford told Morning Report the public is relying mostly on rumours to determine where the two women might have been. She is appealing for the women to reveal more, and spare Northland from further uncertainty and suffering. "I want them to find it in themselves to share the locations that they've been in, to just help get rid of the uncertainty that we are experiencing up here." Stratford said Northlanders are very worried. "We've got families trying to have their tests but some people can't travel, authorities are working to help get testing more widespread, but everybody's just very fearful." She wants there to be consequences if they don't open up. "If they're not going to speak, which it's in their right not to speak out, throw the book at them because it has put a lot more economic pressure on our region it is making people's mental health worse." Northland is in alert level 3 until at least Thursday due to uncertainty in the region.

A Far North District Councillor is pleading for the women who travelled through Northland after crossing the Auckland border to open up about where they have been. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has said a woman who had travelled to Northland with another woman who tested positive for Covid-19 will be interviewed this morning. Dr Bloomfield said the woman was showing symptoms of Covid 19 when she was found by the police last night, and has been tested with results due this morning. She is understood to have spent two to three days in Northland - but has not co-operated with officials on locations of interest. Far North District Councillor Kelly Stratford told Morning Report the public is relying mostly on rumours to determine where the two women might have been. She is appealing for the women to reveal more, and spare Northland from further uncertainty and suffering. "I want them to find it in themselves to share the locations that they've been in, to just help get rid of the uncertainty that we are experiencing up here." Stratford said Northlanders are very worried. "We've got families trying to have their tests but some people can't travel, authorities are working to help get testing more widespread, but everybody's just very fearful." She wants there to be consequences if they don't open up. "If they're not going to speak, which it's in their right not to speak out, throw the book at them because it has put a lot more economic pressure on our region it is making people's mental health worse." Northland is in alert level 3 until at least Thursday due to uncertainty in the region.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are giving an update on the Covid-19 outbreak.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says NZ may not get back to zero cases of Covid-19, but vaccination is making all the difference. "We may not get back to zero," he told Morning Report. "The important thing is we're going to keep finding any infections and basically continue to contact trace, test, isolate people so that we stop the virus circulating in the community, and that is the aim." Bloomfield said vaccinations will help control delta and are the key to getting back to the freedoms NZ used to enjoy in alert level 1. "I don't think a level 1 scenario with Delta necessarily means a series of zero cases, because what we've got now of course, is vaccination. "And so what we're aiming to do now is get on top of this outbreak, which we've done, and continue to vaccinate and get that vaccination rate up over 90 percent. "That's absolutely our new means whereby we will be able to get back to the freedoms we had under level 1, and we're all keen to do that." Bloomfield also said he could not give an R Value, the rate the virus spreads, for the current outbreak due to the small number of cases, but it was estimated at 0.4 a couple of weeks ago. "When you've got so few cases, at this point in the outbreak, you can't really model the R value anymore."

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says NZ may not get back to zero cases of Covid-19, but vaccination is making all the difference. "We may not get back to zero," he told Morning Report. "The important thing is we're going to keep finding any infections and basically continue to contact trace, test, isolate people so that we stop the virus circulating in the community, and that is the aim." Bloomfield said vaccinations will help control delta and are the key to getting back to the freedoms NZ used to enjoy in alert level 1. "I don't think a level 1 scenario with Delta necessarily means a series of zero cases, because what we've got now of course, is vaccination. "And so what we're aiming to do now is get on top of this outbreak, which we've done, and continue to vaccinate and get that vaccination rate up over 90 percent. "That's absolutely our new means whereby we will be able to get back to the freedoms we had under level 1, and we're all keen to do that." Bloomfield also said he could not give an R Value, the rate the virus spreads, for the current outbreak due to the small number of cases, but it was estimated at 0.4 a couple of weeks ago. "When you've got so few cases, at this point in the outbreak, you can't really model the R value anymore."

Covid-19 numbers have taken a bit of a slide today with 15 new cases in the community - all in Auckland. There are now 970 cases linked to the delta outbreak but almost 400 of those people have recovered. Only 10 cases from the past fortnight are yet to be epidemiologically linked. The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the drop in the number of cases reported today is "encouraging" and indicates Auckland is on track to eliminate the virus.

Delta is changing the country's Covid-19 response and Tuesday's move to alert level 2 for most of the country will be no exception. From 11.59pm every part of the country except Auckland will move down alert levels. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has dubbed this "Level Two Delta". Face coverings must be worn in most public venues, such as shops, malls and libraries - except of course when eating or drinking at a bar or restaurant. The Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says masks are recommended, but not mandatory for children returning to school on Thursday. Record keeping or QR scanning is mandated for the vast majority of businesses, venues and events. Those looking to head to the gym or visit the library will be subject to new requirements for indoor public facilities. There is also a clamp down on numbers gathering. Outdoor venues can have up to 100 people, but indoor venues can have just 50 - that's half as many as before. Unlike the rest of the country, Northland is marooned by Auckland's border. Ardern said people will still be able to travel to other parts of the country. Auckland is the odd one out for now, remaining at level 4 until at least next Tuesday. Cases in the community have been declining - but so too have testing numbers. On Sunday 4,750 tests were processed, 2000 were in Auckland - the lowest since the start of the outbreak. But now surveillance testing of healthcare, quarantine and essential workers is ramping up. Dr Bloomfield says there will be more testing of healthcare workers who are on wards with Covid-19 patients and quarantine workers will now be tested twice weekly. Even essential workers crossing the Auckland border will now need to get tested weekly. The entire country will have their alert levels reviewed on Monday.

There is concern low vaccination rates among funeral directors could stop grieving families viewing the body of their loved one despite strict Covid-19 rules being loosened. At alert level 4, funerals and tangihanga are banned with bereaved families forced to wait to say their farewells or in some cases have a virtual service. But the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield signed off on new rules allowing whānau from the same bubble to view their loved one under strict conditions.

The managed isolation and quarantine system and the health system are feeling the pressure of Covid-19 Delta. The government has extended its freeze on releasing any new MIQ vouchers, saying accommodating infected people and their families is the priority. Citizens offshore wanting to holiday back home are being told to leave any MIQ spaces for those who need them. The government is also culling some bookings including for seasonal workers. Reinforcements are on the way for the three Auckland DHBs that have 32 Delta patients in their hospitals. Eight are in high dependency or intensive care units and three of them currently need help breathing. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has indicated staff are being re-deployed from other parts of the country to the hospitals and two new quarantine facilities being step up in Auckland - that includes ICU specialist nurses. Kate Weston from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation talks to Lisa Owen.

In the wee smalls of the morning in a quiet lab somewhere, the three-millionth Covid-19 nasopharyngeal swab was processed with little fanfare or fuss. The Delta community outbreak has seen a massive surge in tests with a rolling seven day average of more than 27,500. Lab scientists have been racing to process them and today they got a socially distanced back slap from the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Terry Taylor is President of the NZ Institute of Medical Laboratory Science. He talks to Lisa Owen.  

The daily Covid-19 case count has taken another slide today - 49 infections have been reported in the last 24 hours - the lowest number in six days. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says it's a promising sign.  

A couple who may have got a saline injection instead of the Pfizer vaccine still don't know if they need a booster shot and say they've been getting the run around from health officials. RNZ last week revealed the Ministry could not rule out that five people may have been give a low or no dose on 12 July at the Highbrook Vaccination Clinic in Auckland. After the story broke, the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said all 732 people vaccinated that day would be contacted within 24 hours. Here's political reporter Charlie Dreaver with the latest details.

New Zealand now has 72 cases of Covid-19 in the community, most of them in Auckland. Experts do not anticipate the city will be moving out of level four this week as more locations are released, and more people are told to isolate and get tested. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said on Sunday there are 8677 contacts - almost all considered 'close contacts'. University of Canterbury Covid-19 modeller Professor Michael Plank says it will take longer to contain the outbreak in Auckland. He spoke to Corin Dann.

A case of Covid-19 has been detected in Auckland this afternoon. It is not yet known, but suspected to be the Delta variant. All of New Zealand will move to Alert Level Four from 11:59pm Tuesday. Auckland and Coromandel will likely remain under those restrictions for seven days. The rest of the country only three days. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield provide the details.

A team of Covid-19 testers has travelled to Rakiura Stewart Island after a child who lives there returned a weak positive result after having a pre-departure test ahead of overseas travel. The rest of the family returned negative tests and so did the child when they re-tested. Now health officials are waiting on the results of serology tests to rule out an old infection, but suspect the weak result could be a false positive. However as a precaution, a childcare centre has been temporarily closed. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says because Rakiura is isolated and the community needs reassurance, the DHB has mobilised a testing team.  

The Ministry of Health says stocks of the covid-19 vaccine are tight - but there isn't a shortage. That's despite some saying they cannot get appointments. The vaccination programme is ahead of schedule so far, with some DHBs vaccinating 50 percent more people than planned. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield talks to Lisa Owen.

New Zealanders will soon be able to fly home from Melbourne without having to quarantine, after a pause to the travel bubble between Aotearoa and Victoria. People will be able to fly back from Wednesday but must provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test within the 72 hours before their flight. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report he's confident New Zealanders returning home from Melbourne won't pose a risk to communities here.

New Zealand's Covid-19 vaccine rollout officially begun on February 20, with the first jabs going to border and MIQ workers. How will the vaccination programme proceed over the next few months? Kathryn gets the latest information from Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

New Zealand's Covid-19 vaccine rollout officially begun on February 20, with the first jabs going to border and MIQ workers. How will the vaccination programme proceed over the next few months? Kathryn gets the latest information from Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

Flights to New Zealand from New South Wales have been placed on hold for 48 hours from midnight last night, as authorities investigate fresh Covid-19 cases in Sydney. About 6000 people who have travelled from the Australian state in the past six days will be contacted, and contact traced. The move may leave some New Zealanders stranded in Australia until flights resume. So has the travel bubble been popped? Corin Dann spoke to Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

Flights to New Zealand from New South Wales have been placed on hold for 48 hours from midnight last night, as authorities investigate fresh Covid-19 cases in Sydney. About 6000 people who have travelled from the Australian state in the past six days will be contacted, and contact traced. The move may leave some New Zealanders stranded in Australia until flights resume. So has the travel bubble been popped? Corin Dann spoke to Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

Ashley Bloomfield expects new restrictions on people flying from Western Australia to New Zealand will only affect a very small number of people. Three new Covid-19 cases linked to a managed isolation facility in Perth ground travel to a halt. Flights to and from Western Australia will resume today, but any New Zealanders still there who have visited a location of interest cannot get on a plane immediately. They need to wait fourteen days from the date of exposure. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report he does not expect many people trying to get into the country will be affected. "There are a lot a lot of locations of interest, but I'd be very surprised if there is possibly anybody or even more than a few people who may have A, been at one of those locations of interest at the time of interest and B, be planning to travel to New Zealand within the next 14 days."

Ashley Bloomfield expects new restrictions on people flying from Western Australia to New Zealand will only affect a very small number of people. Three new Covid-19 cases linked to a managed isolation facility in Perth ground travel to a halt. Flights to and from Western Australia will resume today, but any New Zealanders still there who have visited a location of interest cannot get on a plane immediately. They need to wait fourteen days from the date of exposure. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report he does not expect many people trying to get into the country will be affected. "There are a lot a lot of locations of interest, but I'd be very surprised if there is possibly anybody or even more than a few people who may have A, been at one of those locations of interest at the time of interest and B, be planning to travel to New Zealand within the next 14 days."

A third worker at the Grand Millennium managed isolation facility has tested positive for Covid-19. They are a close contact of the security guard who returned a positive test last week. Both workers are genomically linked to Case A - a cleaner from the facility who tested positive in March. The Ministry of Health says the newest case has been isolating at home since their colleague tested positive last week. It says the worker and their partner have been moved to the Jet Park quarantine facility. There are four new locations of interest connected to the cases, all in Mount Roskill. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield spoke to Corin Dann.

Extra training is being organised for health workers who'll be delivering the first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.Border workers will start getting vaccinated from next Saturday, with the first batch of the vaccine due here sometime in the next few days. It is projected that 2-3000 full-time vaccinators will be needed across the country.Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says vaccinators need two hours of specific online training before they're eligible to administer the jab."The handling process for the Covid-19 vaccine is quite different to others being given in New Zealand."Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins also revealed they'll be looking to build vaccines into the testing regime, saying medical teams carry out testing at each workplace. "We are confident all border workers can be immunised into two to three weeks because they're tested on that rotation."Chief Political Reporter Alex Mason joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the roll-out. 

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has asked officials for advice on potential law changes that could address lingering privacy worries with the NZ Covid Tracer app.It comes after a leading data expert and Privacy Commissioner John Edwards suggested legal tweaks that would ensure agencies couldn't use tracer data for spying or criminal investigations.New Zealand's app remains a critical tool for helping tracers quickly track down close contacts of people infected with Covid-19 - but at the same time, collects large amounts of personal information from users.The Government has moved to allay surveillance worries by making the app "decentralised", leaving location data - like that loaded via QR codes - and interaction information, fed via Bluetooth tracing, on peoples' phones until it's needed for contact tracing.While that approach, widely used by other countries, helped protect users' privacy, there was still little legislative protection against the data being used for other purposes by the Government.Dr Andrew Chen, a researcher at University of Auckland-based Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, said one concern was that police or intelligence agencies could seek a warrant for a phone and then take tracer data from it.Singapore's government recently sparked an outcry when it passed laws allowing its police to access data from its TraceTogether app for serious crimes like murder, rape and drug trafficking.In New Zealand, Chen noted that a recent police review of emergent technologies showed police have the tools and capability to search phones for data.This month, he wrote to Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, suggesting New Zealand could take a similar step to Australia, which introduced an amendment clarifying who and who wasn't allowed to use tracer app data, and for what purposes.That effectively meant that intelligence agencies who incidentally collected tracer data from phones had to delete that data and could not use it.But Chen told the Herald there were still concerns around two scenarios."One is law enforcement agencies getting access, as happened in Singapore, which is the main worry," he said."The other is that, just because the NZ Covid Tracer app is designed well, it doesn't mean that other digital contact tracing tools are well designed too."For example, he said, there had been some 30 different providers for digital contact tracing QR codes in the past."We know that, last year, there were companies that collected personal information from contact tracing and then used it for marketing purposes."So it would actually be good to have some rules in place that specifically state data that is collected for the purposes of the Covid-19 pandemic should only be used to respond to it."Chen has previously suggested the Government could amend the Public Health Response Act, but now believed the reform would be more suitable elsewhere in own current laws.In a written response to Chen last week, Hipkins noted that location and Bluetooth contact data was recorded centrally only when given to tracers - and even then, people could still decide if they wanted to release it."With New Zealand's relatively small number of cases, there are relatively few people whose data is held centrally," Hipkins said."This data is well secured in the ministry's systems and the ministry has undertaken only to use it for contact tracing purposes."Further, he said, the app had existing protections that limited the time period that data was retained for.Scanned and manually recorded locations were kept on a user's phone for 60 days and then automatically deleted, while Bluetooth interaction keys were kept on a user's phone for 14 days and then wiped.Although data from the app uploaded to ministry systems was kept for longer as some of it became part of a person's health record, the ministry had committed to deleting it "in certain categories" at the end of the pandemic - including a...

The time is nearly hair for you to head along to your local hairdresser or barber and finally get that long-awaited tidy up.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given the green light to reopen but only after the country made the move to alert level 2.However, your local would not look the same as the last time you were able to get a trim more than a month ago before the lockdown began.Staff would be forced to wear appropriate protective equipment, maintain good hygiene practices and minimise contact as much as possible.A robust contact tracing system would also be implemented to ensure people could be contacted should they need to be.Specific guidance was being developed by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and WorkSafe.All measures would be put in place to mitigate the risk towards staff and clients, Ardern said this afternoon."This is an area where we have given specific advice because it is virtually impossible to do this job without being in very close proximity to your clients and to having a large number of clients in any single day," she said."For hairdressers and beauticians, it means wearing appropriate PPE because of the close proximity [to] customers throughout the day, because we want to protect you and your clients."New Zealand Association of Registered Hairdressers chair Niq James said the industry was excited about the prospect of heading back to work but he wanted to remind the public to be patient.Hairdressers and barbers were preparing to be inundated with customers following the move to level 2 but restrictions might mean businesses could only fit in a limited number of people each day.And they did not want salons to end up like fast food outlets which had people breaking level 3 restrictions as soon as they opened."We know that there's going to be a backlog of people to do but there's might only be a certain amount of people that we can," James said."We're doing everything we possibly can to get back to work ... but we're asking people to please bear with us and not put extra pressure on an already pressurized business."All we want to do is make people look good and feel good again and get some kind of normality."Earlier today, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced one new Covid-19 case which was linked to the Matamata cluster.The Waikato DHB was calling for anyone in the area to seek advice if they want to be tested, he said.The total number of confirmed and probable Covid-19 cases was 1489, and 1332 people - 89 per cent - had recovered.Malls, cafes, bars, barbers and schools can open under alert level 2, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Kiwis can expand their bubbles to include friends and family and travel "safely" around the country, Ardern said.Two people remained in hospital and the death toll from Covid-19 in New Zealand remained at 21.Testing was higher than 7000 yesterday for the first time and Bloomfield said it was a good sign as DHBs were getting ready for surveillance testing.He said a review had been completed into the use of masks by the public, and there were risks and benefits.Meanwhile, hairdressers and barbers up and down the country were sharpening their scissors in preparation for an influx of customers after the lockdown.They could be the next hottest thing in town after supermarkets and fast food outlets were all inundated at the start of levels 4 and 3 respectively.Miss Fox salon in Wellington had received a flood of frantic messages from clients with patchy lockdown DIY cuts and dyes.A lot of blonde women had tried to patch up their regrowth and had turned their hair orange at the roots and white blonde at the tips, co-owner Loren Svensek said."It's fun hearing about those stories but obviously it will be a little more difficult going back into it, but we're excited to get into it. The more colour corrections the better."The salon already had triple the number of bookings compare...

New Zealand may be seeing the peak in coronavirus cases.Yesterday the Ministry of Health confirmed 82 new cases of Covid-19, taking the total number of confirmed and probable cases to 950.During the update Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there has been a “flattening off” in the number of new cases and that he was “increasingly confident” the lockdown measures were working.Infectious diseases specialist Professor David Murdoch told Andrew Dickens that he is more cautious about saying that at this moment."The numbers have been particularly steady. They haven't been increasing day by day which is good news. We're really waiting to see what happens over the next few days."He said that if there was contained community transmission, we'd be seeing bigger numbers. Murdoch said that people should avoid getting complacent and ensure that they stay at home. "It's vital that everyone stays up with these measures." 

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation is recommending self-isolation for anyone with a serious underlying respiratory condition.It comes after another 13 people tested positive to Covid-19 in this country.That brings the total number of cases to 52 - with another four probable cases.Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says two of the cases had not travelled overseas - so they're investigating the possibility of community transmission,  something they've been preparing for.He says it's now more important than ever to continue tracing individuals who have been in contact with them, to contain further spread.Dr James Fingleton is a respiratory physician and on the Science Advisory Board for the Foundation.  He joined Andrew Dickens to discuss why those with health conditions should be staying at home.LISTEN ABOVE

A fifth person in New Zealand has been diagnosed with coronavirus - with two more probable cases including a Kiwi woman caught up in an outbreak on a cruise ship.The fifth New Zealand case is a woman in her 40s who is the partner of the third person diagnosed with Covid-19 in this country, a man believed infected by a relative who recently returned to New Zealand from Iran.She was already in self-isolation and did not require hospital-level care, said Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.Coronavirus has infected 100,000 and killed more than 3300 worldwide since December. Illustration / FileThe US government confirmed on Saturday that 21 people on the Grand Princess cruise ship, off the Californian coast, had also tested positive for coronavirus.Nineteen of them were crew members. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is following up reports three crew members on the ship are New Zealanders.An Mfat spokeswoman told the Herald it had not been contacted by any New Zealanders who may be on board.Eight New Zealand passengers who were previously on board the cruise ship may have been in contact with a confirmed coronavirus case, the Ministry of Health has said.All of them are now back in New Zealand. Bloomfield said five of them were well.One of the other three, a woman in her 70s, was in North Shore Hospital.After finishing the cruise, she had flown back from San Francisco to Auckland on Flight NZ7 (on February 25). She was admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness and tested for the virus but returned a negative result.However, health officials now believe she is a probable case.As a result, 43 hospital staff who came into close contact with her have been stood down for the remainder of the 14-day isolation period since they treated her.The ministry was also contacting people on the flight who were considered close contacts, and would ask them to self-isolate for the rest of the 14-day period.Two other passengers from the cruise ship have mild symptoms. They had been tested, and one had returned a negative result.In all, there have been 218 tests in New Zealand and five had returned positive. There were another two probable cases - the woman in her 70s and the grandfather of two people already confirmed to have the virus.Kiwi crew are thought to be among thousands trapped on the Grand Princess, which has been off the California coast since a coronavirus outbreak. Photo /Scott Strazzante /San Francisco ChronicleDozens of Kiwi musicians have also had planned performances at a famous US music festival foiled, after South by Southwest was cancelled due to coronavirus fears - with New Zealand-based soul singer/songwriter Tami Neilson expressing concern for the virus' ongoing impact on Kiwis in the industry.Neilson told Newstalk ZB her heart dropped when she heard South by Southwest was off."For a lot of New Zealand artists, it's your chance to get in front of international, important people in the music business."Thirteen New Zealand acts comprising 30 to 40 people were due to perform, but the cancellation wasn't the only worry, Neilson said.South by Southwest was a stop on the way to tour in Europe, where one venue she planned to play at was already turning away performers.She wasn't afraid of catching coronavirus, but more about the uncertainly it caused."It's more the concern that the infrastructure all around you is falling away as you're on tour. I could wake up one morning in France and be on the banned travel list. Can I get home to my babies in New Zealand, am I going to be in isolation for weeks? Am I going to be stuck in a hotel and does my travel insurance cover this?"The world seems to be on very shifting sands at the moment."The spread of coronavirus has sparked global panic buying of necessities such as toilet paper, but yesterday a medical protective wear supplier said that same behaviour had extended to district health boards when it came to equipment such...