WELLINGTON, Feb 19 -- New Zealand reported 1,901 new community cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health.
Among the new infections, 1,240 were in the largest city of Auckland, while the rest were reported in other parts of the country, including 249 in Waikato and 66 in Bay of Plenty.
In addition, 14 new cases of COVID-19 were detected at the New Zealand border, reported Xinhua News Agency quoting the ministry.
There are currently 76 COVID-19 patients in New Zealand hospitals, but with no one being treated at the intensive care unit.
New Zealand has reported 28,360 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The health ministry is pushing hard for a nationwide campaign of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose as soon as possible.
"The booster dose is critical in our fight against the Omicron variant as it continues to spread through the country," it said.
About 95 percent of the eligible population have been double vaccinated and 65 percent received the boost dose against COVID-19 in the country.
New Zealand is currently at the highest Red settings under the COVID-19 Protection Framework. At Red settings, face masks become mandatory in many indoor environments and gatherings are limited to 100 people.
-- BERNAMA
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