Wellington: New Zealand reported the first death in the latest Covid-19 Delta variant outbreak in the local community, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday.
In addition, 20 new community cases of were reported in Auckland on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency. The victim, who was an Auckland woman in her 90s, had a number of underlying health conditions.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed her condolences to the family and loved ones of the woman who passed away on Friday night.
"Every death is a reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause when it gets into our community," said Ardern. "Our older New Zealanders and those with underlying health issues are by far the most at risk from the virus and one of the reasons lockdowns being such an important tool to stop its spread," she added.
The woman's underlying health conditions and the state of her health meant it was not clinically appropriate for her to receive ventilator or ICU care, it was reported. The woman was admitted to the hospital on August 28 from home.
She was a household contact of a case and had been confirmed as a case before admission to the hospital. New Zealand's largest city Auckland is under Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown and the rest of the country is under Alert Level 3 restrictions.
The country has till date registered 3,748 confirmed coronavirus cases and 27 deaths.
