This story first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission
The number of new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand has fallen to 20 today, but there has been one further death, the Health Ministry has revealed.
There were 28 new community cases reported yesterday.
There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said a woman in her 90s who was a confirmed case of Covid-19 died in North Shore Hospital last night.
It said she had a number of underlying health conditions, which meant it was not clinically appropriate for her to receive ventilator or ICU care.
The woman was admitted to hospital on August 28. from home. She was a household contact of a case and had been confirmed as a case before admission to hospital.
"Her whānau was regularly updated and had the opportunity to speak with her regularly by phone. The whânau has been offered cultural support by the DHB."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who passed away.
"Every death is a reminder of the damage Covid-19 can cause when it gets into our community.
"Our older New Zealanders and those with underlying health issues are by far the most at risk from the virus and one of the reasons lockdowns are such an important tool to stop its spread."
A family member told the ministry this morning that he was urging everyone to take Covid-19 seriously and follow public health advice: "This is real."
New Zealand's official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 27.
It is the first death attributed to the coronavirus since mid-February. Before this, nobody in New Zealand had died from Covid-19 since September 2020.
There were also two cases detected in managed isolation today.
The total number of cases linked to the current outbreak is now 782 - 765 in Auckland and 17 in Wellington. There are now 43 cases in hospital, with seven in ICU.
