COVID-Daily After a record high the day before, 19 cases were reported in New Zealand on Wednesday, with the majority of illnesses still occurring in Auckland, as the Delta form of the coronavirus continues to afflict the country's largest metropolis.

On Tuesday, authorities announced 60 additional COVID-19 infections, 56 of which were in Auckland, bringing the total number of cases in this epidemic to 2,158. Since the epidemic began, 28 people have died, and 43 others are now hospitalized as a result of the virus.

New Zealand had been mostly virus-free for the majority of the pandemic until the Delta epidemic in mid-August, which swept across Auckland and neighboring regions, requiring severe restrictions on 1.7 million Auckland residents, which were extended again this week.

Authorities have warned that until vaccination rates improve, illnesses are expected to rise. Approximately 67 percent of the population has now got all of their vaccines, with 85 percent having received at least one dose.

Although New Zealand's overall cumulative load of 4,854 confirmed cases is much smaller than many similar nations, Auckland has been shut down for more than two months.

The government has adopted a living with COVID-19 plan, and education minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday that senior high school students in some locations would return to classes on Tuesday.

"This is a complex issue requiring difficult trade-offs between improving education and increasing potential health risks for children and young people," Reuters quoted Hipkins speaking at the conference.