Auckland risks ‘months’ longer in lockdown; Cabinet meets on alert levels

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This weekend’s Super Saturday “vaxathon” has inched Auckland closer to a double-dose milestone of 90 per cent – but a Covid-19 modeller still warns the city risks facing months longer in lockdown without an urgent circuit-breaker. 

A total 9039 first jabs were administered across Auckland on Saturday, along with 32,042 second doses, amid the nationwide vaccination push. 

A shortfall of 20,360 vaccinations left Auckland “tantalisingly close” to the region reaching the 90 per cent mark for first doses, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said. 

With the current local daily average of 4000 first doses, however, that threshold could be reached this week. 

Auckland’s Covid cases “will keep increasing”, director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said. Even though growth in case numbers dipped over the weekend, Bloomfield said the R value was between 1.2 and 1.3 which means cases will continue to climb. The R value (or reproduction rate) is the number which each case passes the virus on to. 

Bloomfield told Mike Hosking he was pleased with 130,000 vaccines going out on Saturday. 

It’s nearly 1 per cent of the eligible population however they would continue to vaccinate. 
The first jab rates were very high and a bit slower than expected but they were still going up. 

As for Melbourne and Sydney opening up at 70 and 80 per cent, Bloomfield said they were in a different position and NZ was aiming to have a higher vaccination rate. 
Their rates were still coming down and hospitalisation rates weren’t going up, however Bloomfield said that was because people were vaccinated. 
The best way to stop people ending up in hospital was to get people vaccinated and didn’t want hundreds and hundreds of cases. 

Asked what mattered if someone tested positive, Bloomfield said it was more likely they would end up in hospital. 

Hosking said hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne were not being overwhelmed. However, Bloomfield said they were still under pressure. 

Asked about Northland, Bloomfield said they hadn’t seen any cases in the next few days which was good but they still weren’t clear where they had been. 

Bloomfield said Waikato was “interesting” in regards to its moving alert levels especially with cases at the weekend but he had already passed on his advice to Cabinet who would meet to discuss the options this morning. 

The 90 per cent was a figure that Bloomfield had given, he said a first jab was a good milestone but he preferred to get people fully vaccinated. 

He said they had MyCovid record announced last week that had a QR code that could be used and an international pass and would be available late November. 

With the new…