Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced today that the number of COVID-19 related deaths in New Zealand has almost doubled overnight.

“Today I am very, very sad to report four additional deaths linked to COVID-19 infection,” Ashley said.

The additional deaths take New Zealand’s death toll from five to nine.

“This is the largest number of deaths we have reported on any day in New Zealand from COVID-19 and it is a sobering reminder of what is at stake here,” Ashley said. 

Three of the deaths were in the group of Rosewood rest home residents who had been transferred to Burwood Hospital in Christchurch. They were three men, two in their nineties and one in his eighties, and all were confirmed COVID-19 cases with underlying health conditions.

The fourth death, a man in his seventies, had been cared for at hospital in Wellington since March 22, and his transmission of COVID-19 was linked to overseas travel. 

Although six Rosewood rest home residents have now died, Ashley said residents were receiving excellent care, and said there were procedures in place to protect aged residential care home residents and staff around the country.

“We’ve had cases to date, or have cases, in six aged residential care facilities around the country, and this out of a total of over 650 facilities nationwide,” Ashley said. 

Ashley was positive about New Zealand’s trajectory: “I think it’s clear that we are past the peak,” he said. 

There are 17 new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand today, Ashley said, made up of eight confirmed cases and nine probable cases. The total number of cases in the country is now 1,366.

He also said 628 people with COVID-19 have now recovered, an increase of 82 on yesterday.

There are 15 people in hospitals around the country, with three in ICU (in Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals).The Dunedin case remains in a critical condition, Ashley said.

Confirmed community transmission is still at two percent, with most cases still linked to other confirmed cases or overseas travel.

PHOTO: Supplied