Wellington, Mar 30 (IANS): New Zealand reported 15,918 new community cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

There are also 14 new deaths due to Covid in the country, fewer than the 34 deaths reported on Tuesday, the highest daily fatality number reported by the ministry, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among the new community infections, 2,691 were recorded in the largest city Auckland. The rest of the cases were identified across the nation, including 2,535 in Canterbury, according to the ministry.

In addition, there were 48 new cases detected at the New Zealand border, said the ministry.

Currently, 817 patients are being treated in New Zealand hospitals, including 24 held in intensive care units.

New Zealand has reported 642,447 confirmed cases of Covid since the beginning of the pandemic.

It is currently at the highest Red settings under its Covid Protection Framework. At the updated Red settings starting from Friday, indoor gatherings are limited to 200 people, and no limits are set for outdoor gatherings.