WELLINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand recorded 8,609 new community cases of COVID-19, the ministry of health said on Thursday.
Among the new community infections, 2,796 were reported in the largest city Auckland, the ministry said in a statement.
In addition, 97 new cases of COVID-19 were detected at the New Zealand border.
Currently, there are 386 COVID-19 patients being treated in New Zealand hospitals, including 14 people in intensive care units or high dependency units. The ministry also reported 20 more deaths from COVID-19.
New Zealand has reported 966,447 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
New Zealand is currently under the orange settings of its COVID-19 Protection Framework, where there is no limit for gatherings.
From Sunday, New Zealand's borders have opened to visitors from 60 visa-waiver countries for the first time since closing its international borders in March 2020 over the pandemic. ■