WELLINGTON— New Zealand recorded its first death after six months on Saturday but health officials said there were signs the highly contagious Delta variant was coming under control.
A woman with an underlying health condition in her 90s and could not receive proper ventilator or intensive care supporter, died in an Auckland hospital on Friday night.
The woman was identified as the 27th person to die in New Zealand and the first recorded since February 16 this year.
New Zealand has been combatting the virus outbreak since the first locally transmitted case detected in mid-August, forcing the country into full lockdown.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that lockdowns are important tools to halt the further spread of the virus as older citizens and with those underlying conditions are prone in getting the virus.
There were only 20 reported new positive cases on Saturday down from its peak of 84 last weekend.
(PHOT CREDIT: www.times.co.nz)