New Zealand reports 1,160 new community cases of Covid

Wellington, Feb 16 (IANS) New Zealand recorded 1,160 new community cases of Covid on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.Among the new community infections, 861 are in the largest city of Auckland, 73 in nearby Waikato, 32 in the Capital and Coast region, and 24 in Northland, according to the ministry.In addition, 43 new cases were detected at the New Zealand border, said the ministry.There are 56 patients being treated in New Zealand hospitals currently with no one held in intensive care units.New Zealand has reported a total of 23,127 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in the country.About 95 per cent of the eligible population have been vaccinated with at least two doses in the country.New Zealand is currently at the highest Red settings under its Covid Protection Framework. At Red settings, face masks become mandatory in many indoor environments and gatherings are limited to 100 people. –IANSint/sks/shb/