New Zealand records first COVID-19 death in over 6 months

"Every death is a reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause when it gets into our community," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed.

File Photo (Reuters)

New Delhi: New Zealand on Saturday (September 4, 2021) recorded its first COVID-19 fatality in over six months after health authorities confirmed the death of a woman in her 90s.

"Sadly, today we are reporting the death last night in North Shore hospital of a woman in her 90s who was a confirmed case of COVID-19. The woman had a number of underlying health conditions," New Zealand's Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed her condolences to the family and said, "Every death is a reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause when it gets into our community."

She added, "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 are such an important tool to stop its spread."

The woman was admitted to the hospital on August 28 from home and was a household contact of a case. She had been confirmed as a case before admission to the hospital.

Meanwhile, there were also 20 new community cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, all in the largest city of Auckland.

New Zealand, notably, remains in lockdown since last month to contain the delta variant of coronavirus. The island country has so far reported just 27 COVID-19-related deaths and 3,391 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.