New Zealand to abandon zero-Covid as Delta proves hard to shake

New Zealand will begin to move away from a zero-Covid strategy toward living with the virus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said

After shutting its borders early in the pandemic, New Zealand has reported just 4,409 Covid-19 infections and 27 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University -- among the lowest case numbers of any country.But an outbreak in August, sparked by the Delta strain, plunged the major city of Auckland into a long lockdown.

Australia and New Zealand struggle with new surge after defeating past outbreaks 02:30"We need more people fully vaccinated, across more suburbs and more age groups," Ardern said. At least 49% of the country has been fully vaccinated, while 79% have had their first dose, according to New Zealand's Health Ministry.

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