NZ reports 60 new Covid-19 cases of Delta variant

Wellington, Oct 18 (IANS) New Zealand reported 60 new Covid-19 cases of the Delta variant in the community on Monday, which increased the country's overall infection tally to 5,055.Fifty-seven of the new cases were recorded in the largest city Auckland and three were in nearby Waikato, according to the Ministry of Health.Thirty community cases are being treated in hospitals, including five in intensive care units (ICUs) or high dependency units (HDUs), Xinhua news agency quoted a Ministry statement as saying.There are 1,841 cases that have been clearly epidemiologically linked to another case or a sub-cluster, and a further 140 cases for which links are yet to be fully established, it said.New Zealand also reported five new cases identified at the border in recent returnees. The cases have remained in quarantine in Auckland.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce later on Monday the Covid-19 alert level change for some regions of the North Island.The country's overall death toll stands at 28.
--IANS ksk/

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