COVID-19 update 26 November 2021

>> Kia ora koutou katoa.

 I will hand straight over to Dr Caroline McElnay for the update on the latest case numbers and I will make some brief remarks before taking questions.

>> Thank you, Deputy prime minister

At 1 PM a media statement provides a summary of today's cases so I will provide a brief overview.

There are 173 new COVID-19 cases in the community being reported today.

Of these, 154 are in Auckland. 15 are in Waikato. One is in Northland. Two were in the Bay of Plenty. In one case is in the DHB. We are also advising of a new case in Canterbury, but this case is a known household contact who was already in isolation.

 The case actually came in after as usual cut off. This morning so was not included in today's official figures but will be in tomorrow's figures.

For hospitalisations there are 78 people today in hospital with COVID-19 including one person still being assessed. Seven of these patients are in ICU or high dependency units. 75 RN Auckland Hospital is and three are in Waikato Hospital.

 Looking at the international situation, there has been a lot of coverage about what is happening elsewhere in the world and we have clear evidence that COVID-19 vaccination both keeps people out of hospital and keep them from dying. The British medical Journal study reported last month based on research carried out in Scotland shows that the Pfizer vaccine was 90% effective in preventing death from COVID-19. Most infections were caused by the Delta variant.

 Internationally, we are seeing COVID-19 cases in Europe continuing to surge with reports of more than 2.2 million cases and 27,000 deaths in the last week. That is more than half of the weekly global cases and deaths.

And as we have seen, many European countries and are reintroducing restrictions to curb transmission and take the pressure off their health systems. These countries include Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. That reinforces the importance of vaccination and if you are eligible for vaccination, my message is to do it now.

On my vaccine path, you will see the ministry has now issued more than 2 million my vaccine passes. That means more than half of all vaccinated New Zealanders now have their past.

That is an incredible effort in just over a week and thank you to everyone who has already done that and got their pass. My vaccine path is an official record of a person's COVID-19 vaccination status and that will help you access places requiring proof under the new COVID protection framework. That comes into effect of course from next Friday.

We expect the demand for My Vaccine Possible to keep increasing so we have today introduced other ways people can get their past.

There is now the option to receive your path through the post and over the next couple of days people will also be able to go to 400 pharmacies across the country to request their path. Those pharmacies can be found on the Healthpoint website. There has also been an unprecedented number of people calling one 800 numbers to meet the demand we have increased our call centre capacity and there are now 300 call centres all operating extended hours.

 And finally today I would like to acknowledge our frontline healthcare workers who are playing continually a crucial role in keeping us all safe and well. These workers are especially in tena koutou katoa working under significant pressure and this has had a big impact on them, their whanau in the way they live their lives.

 I know it is a tough situation for everyone but I want to say that your effort has not been unknown suggest -- unnoticed and we appreciate everything you've done. Another acknowledge the work that health workers are doing at this time and going forward and remember to treat our health professionals with courtesy and respect.

 Back to you.

>> Thank you very much.

The eighth round of the wage subsidy opened for applications this morning and the period covered by this round will include some of the time that the country will no longer be in the alert level system.

I want to assure those who are eligible for the subsidy that this payment will go out as usual and you will be able to use a period of time for your revenue drop that is both in the alert level and the new framework.

Also, the sixth resurgence support payment reopened for applications this morning. This is the second of the Resurgence Support Payment and we have double the rate again. Even though we will soon move into the framework of this payment, it will remain open.

Since the beginning of the outbreak we have paid out more than $6.2 billion across both the wage subsidy and Resurgence Support Payment schemes.

 I want to give you a brief update on vaccine progress. By midday today, 13 DHBs have vaccinated more than 90% of the eligible population with their first dose. This is through the Auckland DHBs, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, midcentral, -- MidCentral, Nelson, Canterbury, South Canterbury and Sutherland.

These are fantastic achievements and the hard work that has gone into getting that deserves to be celebrated. More DHBs are closing in on the 90% mark in boosting New Zealand's overall first dose rate which now sits at 92%.

Only seven DHBs I get to reach the 90% first dose milestone. Karin is sitting at 89.1% just 900 and Karin is sitting at 89.1% just 917 doses short. Bay of Plenty is 88.9%, 2293 doses away. Both of them should real -- reach milestones early next week. Only 19,408 first doses are required for all 20 DHBs to reach the 90% mark.

This weekend is still a great time to get vaccinated and also to make sure you get a second dose if you had yours, your first one, more than three weeks ago. Finally before we go to questions can I remind people that today is the day bookings open on book my vaccine for booster shots of Pfizer vaccine.

Booster doses are available free for anyone in New Zealand aged 18 or over who has completed a two dose courses more than six months ago. Healthcare border workers are a priority group for booster doses because they are on the front line against COVID and of course many of them completed the vaccine course six months ago or longer. We also encourage our older people including those in residential care to take up this opportunity as they become eligible.

It is also igniting from today bookings are available for the AstraZeneca vaccine as well. Happy to take your questions.

>> Amelia first.

>> The outbreak shows "a very poor level of preparedness for hospitals for Delta". It emerged in the will of December so what we're doing that entire time to prepare?

>> The health system has been both dealing with COVID and preparing for outbreaks of COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020. Obviously while Delta was emerging overseas it had not arrived in New Zealand but the system was preparing itself and I know from the conversations that the Minister of health, Minister of COVID response, and indeed the Ministry of Health has had with DHBs, they been in a period of continuous development, improvement, and preparation. Mr Rocha's job is to give us frank assessment and he has done that and what I would notice that we have further stepped up that preparedness even since this report was produced. I will offer Doctor McElnay the chance to respond.

>> I have nothing to add to that.

>> Preparing itself when he said there was very... A very poor level of preparedness. You are saying it doesn't match his assessment?

>> His job is to give us his free and frank assessment. What I do know is that the health system has been continually developing its capability to deal with COVID-19 and with Delta. You know, he is entitled to his view. What we are focused on with having received his report, we go back to the DHBs and we make sure we work with them to address the issues that are raised.

>> To accept the government's unpreparedness for Delta has cost the economy William?

>> Not at all. You are drawing together two completely different points there. What Brian Roach is saying is that he raised issues about the health systems preparedness. That will not have changed the decisions that we made around putting restrictions in place. The health systems preparedness does not relate to the fact that we needed to step in to stop the spread of COVID.

>> They said you needed rapid antigen testing as a matter of urgency and MiQ needed a plan and none of that was in place by the time Delta hit. How can you say you were prepared?

>> We can because as a country you can see that we have managed to slow and minimise the spread of Delta. No country in the world has been able to eliminate Delta. We as a country, I think, have done very well comparably in managing and minimising it. Does that mean everything was perfect? Absolutely not. But we learn the lessons that he and others put forward.

>> So you were prepared for Delta?

>> I maintain the health system has done well in managing an outbreak of Delta. I acknowledge things might be 100% perfect and Brian has raised a number of issues which we have been working on. For example you have the announcement yesterday about rapid antigen testing. MiQ, we have continually tweaked all the way through the process and obviously we have made announcements about that as well.

>> In September you needed to implement them as a matter of urgency but it's taken you two months to do all those points.

>> Will be under where we undertook the trial process with rapid antigen testing and while rapid antigen testing is and will be put an important part of how we manage COVID you will also know there have been reports in recent days about the limitations of rapid antigen testing as well. We were carefully through that but we absolutely listen to what Brian has said and we have bonded to his report in a number of ways.

>> Our concern to the government about reports about the new heavily mutated virus, variant B1 1529? Which is currently in South Africa and causing some concern?

>> The first thing to make clear as we check with the ESR and there is no variant of that nature that has come into New Zealand. The advice we had at the moment is that there is a good example of why we need to be cautious. There is no need at this point to be alarmed about it from a New Zealand perspective, but does point out the fact that the global pandemic is still going and New Zealand's response needs to be careful and methodical and cautious while this is happening. I note that the WHO is due to meet overnight I think to make it assessment. There are still some debate about the transmit ability of this variant and I'm sure as we listen to the experts we will learn more about it but quite clearly it is evident that this pandemic is not over.

>> Completely support that, we are closely watching, and just to add that every case that comes in across the border, we do whole genome sequencing on that and continue to do that and that is where if we thought we would pick that up...

>> Psychologising? I do have contingency plans for plans in place if someone carrying the virus does come to New Zealand and they need a separate MiQ or isolation facility?

>> We continue to work with MiQ to support our processes as we've got. You will note we've still got a very high risk country list at the moment. We are moving to that only having one country honour but at the moment we monitor closely any further developments from here. The whole point of having that and continuing to have MiQ around it so that we can quarantine people and we will do that if we need to do it.

>> Following on that, written announced they will have about South Africa and countries with  ? You will consider a probable band?

>> We do have a high risk calculus, we are moving to having only one country on it and we will take advice on it.

>> We have a process for reviewing those countries and will provide advice.

>> On the vaccine mandate for the police and defence was, about 14% of the police are unvaccinated. Are you expecting some sort of push back there?

>> Not particularly. As we have seen with the health and education workforce we have ended up with the 98 or 99% level with those and they do need to be ongoing conversations with those police staff who are affected by this mandate. I am confident as we have seen with those workforces that we will get to similarly high levels with police.

>> (inaudible) assist in the Solomon Islands?

>> I don't have any advice about that. We have an ongoing relationships with the Solomon Islands going back to (inaudible). At this point I am not aware that we have been requested to provide any but obviously if we were to receive a request we would consider that.

>> (inaudible) in terms of breaking it down, how long will the (inaudible) be by boundaries or DHP in terms of regional territories?

>> Will have more to say about that on Monday. The process we had gone through up to now is to use the DHP's as benchmarks. Clearly those DHP's are large areas and so we are going to take some advice on what the best way of doing that going forward here is. When we make our announcement on Monday people will be able to see how the DHP is translation to the announcements we make.

>> On household transmission, is there any evidence that (inaudible) rates are increasing and facile transmission?

>> Yes there is. We are analysing our own local data to be able to show that but what we know anecdotally from cases in households that there are household members who are vaccinated who did not subsequently become cases, and other members of the household who was then liquidated didn't become cases so we are seeing that effect of vaccination even in a household situation. Acknowledging that in a household situation that's when you're going to get the most transmission. We do see at a high level the data, you can see breakthrough infections in a household but equally, we are seeing the protection that vaccine gives, even in those settings.

>> On October 14 you provided advice to Doctor Bloomfield around the Auckland border and a level that Nicolette Level 3 setting. You recommended that cannot be advised that those using the Auckland border and essential workers should have to be mandated to be vaccinated. Because of the next fortnight, Doctor Bloomfield on many occasions said to me that that was a necessary and that testing would suffice, and there was no need to mandate essential workers crossing the Auckland border. Were you surprised given that that was not your public health advice to him?

>> I can't recall the details of that particular piece of advice. Around mandating vaccination of essential workers, is that what you're question was?

>> There was a memo on October 14 where you are asked a series of questions where you came back with a series of answers, one of the questions was around the Auckland border and those who were crossing it regularly as essential workers. The advice you provided you Doctor Bloomfield was that there should be mandatory vaccination for those crossing the border as essential workers. Doctor Bloomfield change that in a recommendation saying, rather than that saying it should be but the advice he had been given. Minister Hipkins, yourself and the prime minister have all pushback on the necessity for that. Also the difficulty that would be in doing that. That clearly goes against your previous advice.

>> Me and my team, we provide the best advice that we can given the situation, that is part of the advice and the subsequent policy-making situation. We don't always... We are looking at it from a pure public health perspective and sometimes there are significant other factors that need to be taken into consideration. That is the process, the DG received that advice, he was then receives his own advice on top of that. It goes to ministers for discussion and decision.

>> Just to follow-up, there is a process whereby the director- general not only tasty advice from the doctor and her team, he is also part of a wider group that includes a range of different government agencies and other advisers, and then he in turn turns that into advice that we get. Some of those logistical issues you are talking about have to be weighed up against the balance of the value of the proposal. I am not privy to the exact thinking that Doctor Bloomfield had but that is the process we have.

>> Can I ask you though that do you believe that the border was linked or left someone explodes because the decision was made not to mandate vaccination for those workers going backwards and forwards across it?

>> I think there has been a tight management of the border as we have seen, with a number of cases that have been in Auckland, and the very small number of cases that have been seeded outside of the Auckland border. We know our advice is always by nature going to be highly precautionary. I think what we have seen in the management of the border has actually delivered a very secure and precautions approach to the situation.

>> Lastly, do not think that given the responses that I had over a number of days from a number of you, it was somewhat dishonest not to mention that the original public health advice around that was that mandated vaccinations should happen?

>> No, I don't agree with that. I would have to go back to look at the transcripts to see if I felt there was any concern about that. We were operating off the decisions we have made in the advice we got from Doctor Bloomfield. Clearly if there is evidence that there was a different strain of advice coming through, I am not even sure that I was especially aware of Doctor McElnea's advice but I would have to go back and check for you.

>> We will just come back.

>> DG outbreak had exposed the short term (inaudible) in the outbreak and the response, that criticism led to the extra resources being provided?

>> Certainly I accept the fact it has been an ongoing piece of work to improve the relationships and the dialogue with providers. That is just natural as we ramp up a response and a level of activity that we have never seen before. We have been continually developing those relationships. We were also very aware as we saw the way the vaccination program was rolling out that we did need to put more resources in and to support the Maori vaccination program, and we did that. I would also note that half of that funding is about community engagement and supporting iwi and harpy to develop their own solutions. The way in which outbreaks are managed. This is why we have these reports, we do listen to them, we do take them on board. We were already in a process of developing and enhancing the Maori vaccination program.

>> The outbreak has progressed, should that it happened much earlier?

>> Is not that it wasn't happening, it's just that there was an obvious need to keep improving and developing it, particularly as we saw the way the vaccination program was rolling out. It had always been there, what we're going to put more resources into it. You will also know from previous questioning we have had here that in different DHP's there was a different focus, and the Minister and others went out and met with people and were able to significantly add, I think, to the way that Maori vaccination program works. Continuous improvement and the reason why we have the reports we do.

>> With the police mandate, why is it taken this long compared to some other government departments such as corrections, and why unvaccinated boilers officers will be around to arrest or apprehend members of the public?

>> On the ladder out of the question, the question is similar to what we do with other workforces. Now we have issued the mandate, working through the workforce to give time to make that transition. Clearly, the whole point of this is that we want to be vaccinated and when we reach the end point of those discussions, if they unvaccinated, they won't be able to undertake the duties of frontline police officers. In answers to the first part of your product question, we have been purposefully working through mandates here. We take these decisions very seriously. We will not be and we do not want to issue mandates where we do not believe there is a pressing need to do so. Obviously with both the police and the defence force they find themselves in situations where we believe it is appropriate. We are taking it step by step.

>> The police are often engaging with some of the most vulnerable communities, communities that are frequently bearing the brunt of this outbreak. Is it fair on them as we speak to have unvaccinated officers engaging with them?

>> Again, this is a progressive program, it's about 88 or 86%, so we have the vast bulk of those police officers who have been out there on the front line, in that situation, but it's one of the reasons why we have taken the approach to mandates that we have. You have a question?

>> I had the same question as my colleague. We work for the same company! Are you aware that five kids at Court Kavanagh, parents say they were given inconsistent messages by contact races and that has resulted in kids going back and getting exposed. Is that good enough?

>> We want consistency of message, absolutely. I am not privy to the particular case you are raising. And Auckland the original public health service is given a really good job in getting information out, working closely with centre so that when we do have outbreaks that involve educational settings, there is quite an established process for working with that centre. I don't know the specifics of this but I know that this is something they take seriously.

>> Our people are allowed at private parties and gatherings under red and under what conditions?

>> Under red, the gathering limit remains 100. If you are vaccinated. If you are not, it will be 25.

>> Are people who live already expected to ask the vaccination status of their friends and family over Christmas so they can have a bigger gathering of up to 100 people?

>> If people want a gathering of that size then we would be expecting that to be a gathering that was one of vaccinated people. Obviously there will be a means by which they can check the issue of that.

>> Can I ask a question on behalf of our friends over at seven is Australia, they doing a story on a three year old daughter, an only child, Stuckey in new Southport -- New Zealand, when the border is closed in June. The family can't afford the cost of quarantine here and back over in Queensland as well. Is there any way you can make a special exemption so that the mother can pack up the daughter without doing that quarantine?

>> Those decisions about exemptions and exceptions are ones that find their way through to the director-general of health. I am not in our position to say whether or not it would fit within the criteria.

>> There certainly is an exemption process and I would encourage them to apply under that process.

>> These are the challenges of those. When you hear circumstances like that is challenging but unfortunately, with both sides about arrangements, Queensland operates a form of isolation when you return as well as New Zealand does, it does create quite a difficult specific set of circumstances. We make decisions about isolation periods based on public health advice. We cannot do very them without there being a very strong case. I was going to say, on primer pacey or on the facts you have said, that sounds like a challenging and difficult case. As Doctor says, I would encourage people to apply.

>> Have you been advised by the police is -- in writing that the traffic light system is going to be impossible to believe?

>> I don't know that the language would have been impossible. We did have discussions about how we would manage it with police and they were closely involved in those discussions with the Ministry of transport. I do know that they are comfortable with the position we now have with the spotcheck approach.

>> So the police are comfortable with monitoring the traffic light system?

>> Can I just clarify, is the government doing anything proactively to (inaudible) other than watching what happens overseas and (inaudible)?

>> Doctor McElnea and her team closely monitor the situation is and if we need to take action, we will. Bear in mind that any one coming into New Zealand goes to our screening processes. We know who they are, we know their predeparture status, we know the vaccination status. We have had to, throughout this pandemic, constantly evolved to the new mutations of the virus. The core elements of our approach are designed to deal with whatever mutations there are. Whenever we learn from the WHO and their analysis, we will take on board.

>> That is right. That is the really important bit, what is actually different about this variant and how might it express itself. That is what we will be looking at very closely to see what we need to do to be prepared, should it arrive.

>> What about the fact it will be less than the vaccine efficacy as opposed to... Are you concerned all that we are moving into a phase in our response that is so reliant on the vaccine, which might be rendered not as good?

>> That is the same situation in the whole world is in. The vaccine has proved to be very effective against the variance up to now. I don't believe we are yet at a point where you could conclusively say anything about this new variant in that respect. There is a lot of speculation, we have been reading overnight with variable use from experts that that is the particular phase we are at. That's why we will listen to the WHO and others.

>> Will have any impact on the opening updates you have signalled for next year?

>> No, not at this point. What it does reinforce is why we have been so cautious, and there has been some feedback that people think we should move more quickly throughout the pandemic. We have taken a careful, balanced and methodical approach to dealing with COVID. The reason why we have Auckland boundaries coming down in December, Australia and the rest of the world in January and February, so we can manage the impact of the changes we make. I think what you are seeing with a new variant is a real wake-up call for all of us. This pandemic is still going.

>> Going into a voluntary lockdown because of a case, a concerned more towns will follow suit once Auckland Borders open up to?

>> The reason we have the traffic light framework in place is to make sure Director of Public Health protections in place for areas where we have concerns. We do that on the basis of public health advice. I do know in that particular case there has been a close working relationship between the DHB and local elders and I think that has been made locally alongside the DHB. That's the best way to do this, to make a strong working relationship, from our perspective, we have a framework that includes the scope for localised lockdowns. We will do that based on public health advice.

>> That's right and the last bit on the intent of the framework is to be able to be more focused and localised in the response as needed.

>> Support those councils making their own lockdown rules? Or will you mandate?

>> As I said I'm aware that in that instance there has been close engagement between the DHB and the local people. That is very important. We do have a framework which means that we have the ability based on public health advice to put in place local lockdowns. It is important we have that system in place but equally throughout this pandemic we have tried to work with local communities to do things that work best for them.

>> The national leadership, what you make of that? I am standing on the stage he read a government pandemic briefing and a very focused on managing that.

>> Have you got any announcements coming up providing any information around wage subsidy, financial support for businesses or things like that?

>> And I said that on 22 October, when we move into the framework that will be the point at which we finished with the existing payments that we have got. I will have a bit more to say early next week about how we are managing the transition. We have been clear that under the green and orange levels of the framework we don't believe that there needs to be across-the-board support. At the red level, what we're looking at their particular sectors which we may be affected and we will look into that and monitor that but I'll have more to say about that on Monday. (LAUGHS) I did see you!

>> Yeah, just days before cases were discovered in Palmerston North and the Waikato, Cabinet was getting advice the abacus contained in Auckland. Can you explain how the ministry got it so wrong and looking back to think anything more could have been done to stop the virus getting out of Auckland?

>> I'm not sure I would say the ministry got it so wrong. I don't even put those things together. Think if I recall the Palmerston North case was one of the very few numbers of cases of a worker who tested... If you will recall there were very few if any cases that actually came off the back of that. In the case of the Waikato, there was obviously someone who moved backwards and forwards across the border but not to do without testing regime and so on. The reality is, as I said in answer to earlier questions, I think with the nature of a Delta outbreak, overall, we have managed that well and the ministry has provided us with good and strong advice. Does that mean that it is 100% perfect? No it doesn't and that is why we try to learn from reports like a bridge report and experiences we have. But I would characterise it that way.

>> As sports minister what is your response to this morning's use about the breach...

>> It's very disappointing and I know for the New Zealand Olympic Committee and they are disappointed. It is important to know that it did not affect any of our medals or anything like that at the Games but rules are rules and we expect our bodies to follow them and I know they are aware of that and it is a breach that is very, very unfortunate.

>> Support for your next business support plan, what about international education sectors? How set in stone is the April 30 date? That is two months after the academic year starts.

>> I know the minister has been in continuous conversation with the education sector around this. Obviously 30 April date gives much more freedom for the class of Visa holders to come into New Zealand. Bear in mind that because New Zealanders will not be using MiQ in the period from... Or to a lesser extent from January and most New Zealanders from February, but opens up more possibilities for sectors like international education but also other business groups, other grip allocations, that we might look at. Over the next few weeks will be having another look at how we make use of MiQ and it won't necessarily mean that all the MiQ facilities we had a still being used in the way they've been used but it does open up some possibilities and finally I also know that Mr Atkins has been talking in terms of the move to more self isolation, how tertiary institutions might be involved in that. So he may well have more to say about that soon.

>> The key factor...

>> The other would be the conversations the ministry is having with the sector around their ability to manage a more self isolation model.

>> Would you need to change border exemptions to let the students in? It only Kiwis allowed...

>> We've already done Ruben -- grip allocations for international students, we had about a thousand of those...

>> You would change?

>> Potentially, potentially, yes.

>> Thank you.