Authorities reported 60 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 56 were in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,158. There have been 28 deaths in total since the pandemic began and 43 people are currently hospitalised because of the virus.
New Zealand had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until the Delta outbreak in mid-August that has spread across Auckland and neighbouring regions, prompting tight restrictions on some 1.7 million Aucklanders that were extended further https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-pm-ardern-extends-covid-19-lockdown-auckland-2021-10-18 this week.
Authorities have warned that infections are likely to trend higher until vaccination rates gather more pace. Some 67% of the population is now fully vaccinated, while 85% have received at least one dose.
Auckland has now been locked down for more than two months, though New Zealand's total cumulative load of 4,854 confirmed cases is far lower than many comparable countries.
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