[Source: 1News]

There are 18 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand on Friday, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

The cases are in Auckland (11), Waikato (4), Bay of Plenty (1) and Canterbury (2).

The Bay of Plenty case tested positive for Covid-19 while in Waikato, and will be transferred to the region’s case total, the Health Ministry said. The case remains under investigation.

There are 34 people in hospital with the virus, two of whom are in the high dependency or intensive care unit – unchanged from Thursday.

On Thursday, there were 1,421 first doses; 3,595 second doses; 591 third primary doses and 41,664 booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered in New Zealand.

It brings the vaccines administered to date to 3,986,487 first doses, or 95% of the eligible population; 3,890,397 second doses, or 92% of the eligible population; 34,606 third primary doses; and 678,943 booster doses.

There are 43 new arrivals at the border with Covid-19.

Friday’s border cases arrived from Australia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the US and Fiji, where they tested positive for Covid-19 on routine day zero to 13 testing.

There have now been 266 Omicron Covid-19 cases detected at the border since December 1.

Meanwhile, a positive wastewater detection in South Wairarapa on January 10 is believed to be linked to the four Covid-19 cases reported on Thursday.

On Thursday there were 28 new community cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand.