New Zealand reported its first Covid-related death in over six months today.
The country has recently had an outbreak of the Delta variant, but health officials have said it is now under control.
The woman who passed away was in her 90s and had underlying health conditions and is said to have been a household contact with someone who had already tested positive for the virus.
The elderly woman became the 27 th person to die with Covid in New Zealand after she passed away in Auckland Hospital on Friday.
In mid-August, New Zealand reported its first locally transmitted case in over six months and reacted by enforcing a lockdown.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, 782 cases have been reported, with the majority of these being from Auckland.
Auckland currently has the highest level of restrictions in the country, with other areas complying with more relaxed restrictions.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said: The death was “a deeply sad reminder of why the measures we are undertaking right now are so important”.
She added: “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.”
In the past week, only 20 new cases have been reported compared to a figure of 84 the previous week.
Currently, 46 per cent of New Zealand's population have received one shot of the vaccine, with 24.4 per cent now fully vaccinated.
In a video released by New Zealand Rugby, the All Blacks urged New Zealanders to get the vaccine and to "protect yourselves and your loved ones".
The campaign hopes to see an increase in the uptake of the vaccine.
