[Source: NZ Herald]

There are 18 new community COVID cases in New Zealand today – and another death has been recorded.

A woman in her 70s who was infected with the virus died at Middlemore Hospital last night, the Ministry of Health says.

The family requested no further details be released.

Sixteen new cases have been identified at the border, including five with the Omicron variant.

This takes the country’s total Omicron cases identified at the border to 54.

Fifty-four people are fighting Covid-19 in hospitals across Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua and Waikato. Eight people are being treated in an intensive care unit.

Of the new community cases, 13 are in Auckland, three are in Waikato, one is in the Bay of Plenty and one in the Lakes District.

Of the three new cases in Waikato, two are in Te Kūiti, and one is in Hamilton. Two are known contacts of a previous case and the third case is under investigation.

One new case reported in Tauranga today is a household contact of a previously reported case. They are in isolation, the ministry said.

Investigations are continuing into any “potential connections” to one new case detected in Rotorua.