Ninth wave of COVID has hit New Zealand.

According toofficial data from Health NZ, there were 322 cases, 19 deaths, and 50 hospital admissions in the last seven days.

Public Health Professor Michael Baker believed this represented a ninth wave of COVID in the community, and wanted people to take it seriously.

The wave was put down to ‘waning immunity’, with protection from the vaccine decreasing after six months.

Baker wanted to offer a wake-up call of sorts to the public.

​“[COVID-19] is still our most important infectious disease still, and it’s ahead of influenza, which in the past was our biggest infectious disease killer.”

​“You don't want to have it over and over again... every day, there will be lots of people getting disabled from this infection.”

​A number of suggestions were offered on combating this new wave, including getting booster shots, possibly wearing masks on public transport, and isolating if you test positive.

It was especially suggested for vulnerable groups, such as older people or those who have an underlying illness.

​The public health system was also being urged to do better in its response to the illness.

Despite the official data showing the new wave, no messaging was put out at the time.

​“I think we need to put much more emphasis on managing this problem... we do need an integrated approach and putting out the messaging and doing all the other things right,” Baker said.

​He also had not forgotten about the government’s decision to stop providing free RAT tests from October 2024.

​“Tests were no longer paid for by the government, making them unaffordable for some people.”