PM on Covid mandates, vaccine passes – are they coming to an end?

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says mandates and vaccine passes are unlikely to be used as widely as before and Cabinet will review traffic light settings next week. 

The PM today said Omicron may well have already peaked in Auckland. 

But hospital case numbers would show how much of a lag was happening. 

Jacinda Ardern was welcomed at Sylvia Park School today, where the new history curriculum, Omicron, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were discussed. Photo / Michael Craig 

“Cases come first, hospitalisations follow, sadly,” Ardern told a press conference in Auckland. 

The PM said healthcare employees were facing a very strenuous workload. 

“We know our health workers are working extremely hard but they’re also affected by Covid personally.” 

That was one reason some public health restrictions were still needed, the PM said. 

Ardern said Covid-19 vaccine passes were likely to become less important soon, but might still be needed as a back-up in case a new coronavirus variant emerged. 

On Russian sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, Ardern said more work was being done on which individuals these sanctions would apply to. 

The Government was moving on individuals and assets linked to Putin’s regime. 

Ardern suggested expelling Russia’s ambassador was not realistic, because doing so would likely spark retaliation, meaning New Zealand would lose diplomatic representation in Russia. 

High hospitalisation rates mean no shift from red setting as Auckland reaches its peak 

New Omicron infections across Auckland are starting to drop but the increasing number of patients in hospitals with Covid may not see the city shift out of the red traffic light restrictions just yet. 

Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said this morning Auckland had seen the peak of infections. 

But he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking positivity rates and hospitalisations should be considered in any debate about changing traffic light settings. 

There were currently nearly 1000 people in hospitals with Covid. 

Bloomfield rejected any claim the health system was in crisis but said staff were feeling under pressure, with 15 to 20 per cent of the workforce infected with Covid. 

He said two-thirds of those in hospital with Covid-19 were there because of virus symptoms or because Omicron had impacted an underlying illness. 

The other third were presenting under other circumstances, such as for injuries or maternal care. 

That meant about 750 people were in hospital mostly because of Covid. 

“Remember, that’s 750 people in hospital who otherwise wouldn’t have been.” 

It meant some elective surgery and planned care couldn’t always be carried out. 

Meanwhile, Pfizer has talked about a fourth dose of the vaccine for over-65s. 

Last week, Bloomfield asked health officials to look into a fourth dose for older folk because there was waning immunity and because older people were more vulnerable. 

Nurses are being paid an extra $500 per night shift as hospitals grappled with staffing issues, especially in Auckland, Bloomfield confirmed. 

The Herald has seen a Waitematā District Health Board document showing a Covid-19 remuneration…