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Kia ora Luke
Thank you for your email.

The Ministry continues to improve on its reporting of national
hospitalisation data related to COVID-19.

 

Initially that will involve comprehensive reporting of all cases in
hospital with COVID-19 for the Northern region – Northland DHB and the
three Auckland metro DHBs.  This can be used as an early indicator of
demand on our hospitals.  The Ministry expects to begin this in February.

 

Subsequently the Ministry will be reconciling those figures with discharge
data and supplementing our reporting to reflect those in hospital with a
primary cause of COVID-19 for the Northern region.  The Ministry expects
to start this is March.

 

Over time similar reporting for other regions will be added to the
national reporting.

Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [1][email address] or by calling 0800
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Ngâ mihi

 

OIA Services Team

 

[2]Ministry of Health information releases

[3]Unite against COVID-19

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From: Luke <[FOI #18362 email]>
Sent: Friday, 28 January 2022 11:51
To: OIA Requests <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - COVID-19 Hospitalisations
 
Dear Ministry of Health,

When the Ministry of Health provides a daily update of the COVID-19 case
numbers, the number of people currently located in hospital with COVID-19
is also mentioned.

I find this statistic difficult to determine any useful information from,
since it seems to count patients admitted to hospital for various medical
reasons, but just so happen to also test positive for COVID-19. A person
in hospital for a broken leg whilst also having mild COVID symptoms is
very different from a patient with a severe form of the disease needing
oxygen support, after all.

Why does the Ministry not release separate Hospitalisation figures, which
includes people who have been hospitalised because of severe COVID-19
symptoms that warrant hospitalisation (and are being treated for it) only?

Yours faithfully,

Luke

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