There has been a detection of Covid-19 in Tauranga wastewater and further testing is underway in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui, with results expected on Thursday.

The sample was taken on September 23, additional samples are also being taken from Paeroa, Waihi Beach, Katikati, Matamata, Te Puke and Maketu.

There are eight new cases of Covid-19 in the community, all of which are in Auckland.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are expected to provide an update on the current Covid-19 outbreak.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health reported 12 new cases of Covid-19, all in the Auckland area.

The Ministry says the total number of Covid cases in the current outbreak is now 1177.

At the 4pm update, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about the importance of being vaccinated.

Along with Ashley Bloomfield, Ardern spoke about the importance of high vaccination rates to New Zealand in terms of opening our borders and reducing restrictions.

Dr Bloomfield says the higher vaccinations numbers are the lower deaths and hospitalisations will be.

He says the delta variant increase the mortality rate as age increases.

It poses nearly double the risk of the alpha variant, based on data from the United Kingdom, says Dr Bloomfield.

“It’s mission critical to achieve good vaccination rates. We’ve made a good start but we need to see it through,” he says.

Ardern says of those 65 and older more than 90 per cent of them have had their first dose.

She says we need to keep going to help reduce restrictions and to change our border settings safely.

Source: SunLive.co.nz