NZ has just passed a million Covid cases but University of Auckland Senior Lecturer Dr David Welch says the real number of infections could be more than double. Video / NZ Herald

There are 9392 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

A further nine deaths have been reported, including eight people who died over the past two days and one person who has died since May 5.

Today's case numbers were revealed by the Ministry of Health in a statement at 1pm.

There are 398 cases in hospital, including seven people in ICU.

The locations of today's cases are: Northland (243), Auckland (3388), Waikato (664), Bay of Plenty (261), Lakes (144), Hawke's Bay (269), MidCentral (289), Whanganui (89), Taranaki (232), Tairwhiti (84), Wairarapa (96), Capital and Coast (635), Hutt Valley (213), Nelson Marlborough (272), Canterbury (1364), South Canterbury (138), Southern (920) and the West Coast (83).

The location of eight cases is unknown.

Four of the people whose deaths were reported today were from Auckland, and five were from Canterbury.

One person was in their 70s, two people were in their 80s and six people were aged over 90. Four were women and five were men.

Today's seven-day rolling average of community case numbers is 7533, while last Thursday it was 7684.

Meanwhile, 84 Covid-19 cases have been detected at the border.

The people with Covid-19 who are in hospital are in: Northland (11), Waitemat (54), Counties Manukau (32), Auckland: (89), Waikato (42), Bay of Plenty (12), Lakes (four), Hawke's Bay (14), Taranaki (10), MidCentral (23), Wairarapa (two), Hutt Valley (six), Capital and Coast (10), Nelson Marlborough (seven), Canterbury (57), South Canterbury (three), West Coast (five) and Southern (17).

The average age of cases hospitalised in the Northern Region is 60.

The vaccination status of those in Northern region hospitals is:

Unvaccinated or not eligible: 31 cases / 13 per cent Partially immunised Double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case: 58 cases / 24 per cent Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case: 138 cases / 58 per cent Unknown: Five cases / 2 per cent

The Ministry of Health said today's number of community cases was an important reminder to remain vigilant.

There were three things everyone could do to protect themselves and others from the virus.

They were: ensure you were up to date with vaccinations and boosters; wear a mask and remember they are still required in many indoor settings; and stay home and avoid others if you're unwell, isolating or waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test.

"A good rule of thumb is to wear a mask in indoor public settings as we know that mask use halves the risk of spread of Covid-19."

To date, 95.2 per cent of eligible New Zealanders have had two doses of Covid-19 vaccine and 70.8 per cent have been boosted.

The release comes as cases, thought to be plateauing, are increasing in some parts of the country - including Auckland - and also on the same day as it was announced New Zealand's borders will fully reopen two months earlier than the Government initially planned.

Yesterday there were 7970 new cases in the community and 28 Covid-19 related deaths were reported.

The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers was 7420, down from 7746 last Tuesday.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the full border reopening date would be bought forward from October to July 31, while speaking to a Business NZ lunch in Auckland.

The final part of the staged border reopening will open the country to all visa categories - including tourists, workers, families and students.

Ardern also said pre-departure testing would be removed from the July 31 reopening.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins says international students will be welcome back across the country's schools and tertiary institutions from July 31, with new criteria he says will close a "backdoor to residency" loophole.

New Zealand closed its borders in March 2020 when Covid-19 began to spread and a reopening plan only got under way this year.

Cases then declined to the seven-day moving average low point on April 19 of 1569.

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Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 9392 new Covid cases and 9 deaths, 7 in ICU - New Zealand Herald