Navigation for News Categories
All coverage of Coronavirus including the political response and the effect on our health system, the economy and our communities.
Covid-19 headlines with summaries.
-
Should we be worried about new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5?
4 Jan 2023A new variant is surging in the US, with the Centers for Disease Control projecting it accounted for about 40 percent of US Covid cases in the last week of December.
-
WHO says China data underrepresents Covid-19 surge and deaths
China's Covid-19 data is not giving an accurate picture of the situation there and underrepresents the number of hospitalisations and deaths from the disease, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
-
New Zealand will not impose entry restrictions on travellers from China
4 Jan 2023New Zealand will not require travellers from China to be tested for Covid-19, the government has announced.
-
Covid-19 cases and deaths continue to fall, latest figures show
4 Jan 2023The Ministry of Health is reporting the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths of people with the virus are falling, while the number in hospital remains steady.
-
Letter suggests trans-Tasman consensus mandatory testing of travellers from China unnecessary
3 Jan 2023New Zealand health officials reportedly agreed with Australian counterparts that introducing mandatory Covid-19 testing for travellers from China was an overreaction.
-
China criticises 'political' Covid-19 tourist rules
4 Jan 2023The Chinese government has suggested that travel restrictions imposed on Chinese arrivals are politically motivated - with New Zealand yet to decide whether it will require mandatory Covid-19 testing… Audio
-
Australia's chief medical officer advised against mandatory Covid-19 testing for China travellers
Australia's chief medical officer explicitly advised the Albanese government not to introduce mandatory Covid-19 testing on travellers from China a day before the measure was announced.
-
Covid-19: Expert says NZ should impose China pre-departure test rule
2 Jan 2023Epidemiologist Michael Baker says New Zealand should follow Australia and other countries in implementing a requirement for negative Covid-19 predeparture tests for travellers from China.
-
Covid-19: More countries impose restrictions on travellers from China
31 Dec 2022Authorities around the world are imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China as Covid-19 cases in the country surge.
-
Bloomfield on knighthood and unexpected fame: 'I just kept being myself'
31 Dec 2022After an extraordinary four years the former director general of health has been made a knight for services to public health.
-
Daily Covid-19 case tally rises to highest in past week
29 Dec 2022Today's Covid-19 case numbers are the highest in a week - but still significantly less than a peak earlier this month.
-
Chinese hospitals 'extremely busy' as Covid spreads
28 Dec 2022Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were under intense pressure as a surging Covid-19 wave drained resources, while the scale of the outbreak prompted some countries to consider new travel rules on…
-
Covid-19: A hospital holidays for many this Christmas
25 Dec 2022Hundreds of people are spending their Christmas in hospital with Covid, while thousands more are at home, but in isolation.
-
Provisional approval granted for Covid-19 boosters targeting Omicron variants
22 Dec 2022Medsafe has granted provisional approval for two Pfizer Covid-19 booster vaccines which target Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.4/5.
-
PM defends Covid settings amid wave of reported cases
Jacinda Ardern says while the number of cases and hospitalisations is serious, the health system is better able to cope now than before.
-
Long waits, high fees for cremation services in Beijing as Covid-19 cases surge
21 Dec 2022As China battles a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, there are growing reports that it's getting harder and harder to bury the dead.
-
Slouching towards Christmas in this year of Covid-19
20 Dec 2022Analysis - With the year drawing to a close, the sounds that seem to sum up the season are less jingling bells and carols, more the cough of Covid-19 and an enormous, exhausted sigh of relief, Tim…
-
With Covid-19 on the rise again, here are some steps to socialise safely
20 Dec 2022The pre-Christmas period puts New Zealanders at high risk of exposure to Covid-19. Even at small gatherings of 10 people, the probability someone has the virus has increased from 2-3 percent to about…
-
Covid-19: 600,000 vaccine doses expire within weeks
20 Dec 2022Covid-19 vaccination rates have plateaued since September, with about 64,000 given out each month at the moment.
-
BA.2.75 variant dominates as holidaymakers warned to be careful
19 Dec 2022The Ministry of Health says BA.2.75 looks like it is more transmissible and can evade immunity from other variants but more data is needed to be certain.
-
Ashley Bloomfield to take professor role within new unit at Auckland University
19 Dec 2022The former director-general of health is joining the University of Auckland as a professor.
-
Covid-19: Cases climbing as health system heads for a Christmas crunch
19 Dec 2022Healthcare professionals in holiday hotspots are bracing for an influx of Covid-19 patients, with one modeller warning Christmas week could see one-in-20 people infected.
-
Covid vax boosters 'a Christmas present you can give yourselves'
15 Dec 2022Health experts are urging people who have not yet had the booster shots they're eligible for to get them now as cases surge heading into the festive season. Audio
-
Person's death may be linked to Pfizer vaccine
14 Dec 2022Health authorities are investigating a death that could be linked to the Pfizer vaccination.
Top News stories
- 'I was so scared': Abused as children, incarcerated as adults
- Rescuers race to help 40 whales stranded at Northland beach
- NZ sides Phoenix and Auckland top A-League table
- COP 29: Carbon credit trading scheme criticised as 'get out of jail free card'
- A man who had his leg amputated after being trapped for over 20 hours in Franklin River remains in critical condition
Subscribe
Get the top 8 headlines each day at 8am with our daily email newsletter.
