A Northern Territory man in his 60s has died with COVID-19 as the territory records 235 new cases and the indoor mask mandate is dropped.

March 7, 2022

A man in his 60s is the latest person to die with COVID-19 in the Northern Territory, as the toll since the start of the pandemic climbs to 29.

The Darwin man suffered from underlying health conditions and died at Royal Darwin Hospital, NT Health said on Monday.

His death comes as the territory reported 235 new infections, bringing the number of active cases in the NT to 3161.

Of these, 47 are in hospital, with 14 patients requiring oxygen and three in an intensive care unit.

The NT has also dropped its mask mandate for indoor settings except for high-risk settings, such as hospitals and aged care facilities, and in the Big Rivers and Katherine areas.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said there would continue to be peaks and troughs in daily coronavirus infections but a sustained increase was not anticipated.

“It does feel good that we are moving forward and COVID-19 is well managed in the Territory,” she said.

“But we must not take our eye off it.”

The minister said she could not rule out mask mandates returning at some time in the future, should the risks posed by the pandemic escalate again.

“We do not know what’s around the corner,” Ms Fyles said.

Meanwhile, children aged five to 11 are now eligible to receive their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The recommended eight week waiting period has elapsed since the first jabs were given.

Over 55 per cent of Territory children in the age racket have had one vaccine dose.

Almost 90 per cent of children and teens aged 12 – 15 years have received their first vaccine dose and over 76 per cent have had two jabs.

In remote NT clinics, 89 per cent of patients over the age of five have received their first vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second.

More than 40 per cent have had a third booster dose.