Drug access widened as hospitalisations rise

numbers and the emergence of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant, Hughes said.

On Wednesday, there were 11,464 new community Covid-19 cases reported – some of the highest daily figures since early April.

The number of people in hospital with the virus (729 on Wednesday) was also climbing. The rolling seven-day average of hospitalisations on Wednesday was 643, up from 454 the same day last week.

Daily case numbers were higher in the three oldest age groups (those aged 70+) than they were during the first Omicron wave in March. The hospitalisation rate in the 70+ age group sits at 3.9% versus 0.2% for those in their 20s.

Covid-19 Response Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said antivirals were ‘‘so effective’’ at preventing hospitalisations, but authorities hadn’t seen antiviral use increasing ‘‘as the way we wanted to’’.

Paxlovid, for example, reduced the chance of an at-risk person requiring hospitalisation by 90%, she said yesterday.

The change in criteria would take the percentage of people eligible from 2% to 10%.

The number of factors Ma¯ori and Pacific peoples are required to have to access the treatments will reduce.

Christchurch city leaders have agreed to pour another $150 million into the Te Kaha stadium project budget – taking its total cost to nearly $700m.

The Christchurch City Council met yesterday to decide the fate of the beleaguered project.

After nearly six hours of discussion and debate, councillors voted 13-3 to increase the budget and push on with the project.

The other options on the table were to pause the project and revaluate it, or scrap it altogether.

The three councillors who voted against pushing on were Melanie Coker, Sara Templeton and Celeste Donovan. They expressed concern about the financial burden of the additional costs to build the stadium.

Coker said she had heard from people on fixed incomes who feared the rates impact. In a few years, the council is expecting the average rate rise to be 8.5%.

Templeton she represented those who had told the council ‘‘don’t burden us further’’.

Donovan said many wanted to see action and forge on but just because something felt good did not make it right.

About 25,000 Christchurch residents made a submission, telling the council what it should do.

Three-quarters said push on, the final quarter said pause or stop completely.