There are 15 new community cases of omicron, pushing the outbreak total up to 105. However, overall, there are 105 new community cases today with the majority in Auckland: 76. It’s not yet known how many of these will ultimately be linked to the omicron outbreak.
At the border, 45 cases were detected and are being treated as the omicron variant.
There are now active cases being treated as omicron in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, MidCentral, and Nelson-Tasman. There is also one new case in Northland and one in Bay of Plenty that will be officially added to tomorrow’s case numbers.
“The number of cases and contacts are expected to grow given the highly transmissible nature of omicron and as we learn more from case interviews,” said the Ministry of Health.
“We’re asking everyone in New Zealand to act like omicron is circulating in their community.”
There are also five new cases, presumed to be the omicron variant, linked to an early childhood centre in Tauranga. “A focus for Toi Te Ora Public Health today is an exposure at a polo event held at on Trustpower Baypark stadium between 1pm and 6.15pm on Saturday, January 22,” said the Ministry of Health. “The event was attended by a large number of people, including cases that are suspected to be omicron.”
Anyone who was at the bar during this time is a close contact and is being asked to self-isolate and get tested immediately. Those at the stadium but not the bar are casual contacts and need to self-monitor for Covid-19 symptoms for 10 days. “If symptoms develop, get a test and stay at home until you get a negative test result,” said the ministry.
One case was today linked to the Hamilton Soundsplash festival. They tested positive for Covid-19 in Hawke’s Bay. They are the sixth person with Covid-19 linked to the festival.
There are now four people in hospital with Covid-19, with one still in intensive care.
Yesterday 13,112 doses of the vaccine were administered to five to 11 year olds, bringing the total to 137,301. A further 23,000 doses are booked in and 29% of 5 to 11 year olds have now received their first dose.
There were 46,827 booster doses administered yesterday, bring the total to 1,210,768. Of those due for a booster, 65% of people have now received one.
Additional case details
In Northland, there is one new case: a household contact of a previously reported case. They’re based in Whangarei. Separately, a new location of interest has been added to the Ministry’s webpage – the Wainui Marae in Kaeo.
There are 76 cases to report in Auckland today. Health and welfare providers are now supporting 698 people in the region to isolate at home, including 206 cases. It’s possible some of these will be linked to the omicron outbreak as well as the tail end of the delta outbreak.
There are five new cases in the Waikato. Four of the cases are linked to previous cases and one is under investigation. Four are from Hamilton and the location of the fifth case is under investigation.
Seven new cases are in the Lakes DHB area today. All seven are contacts of previously reported cases and are isolating at home or in managed accommodation.
There are nine new Covid-19 cases in the Bay of Plenty today, including three cases first announced yesterday and linked to an early childhood centre in Tauranga. More detail on these cases can be found above.
There is one new case in Palmerston North. “This case is not linked to any previously reported cases in the region and investigations are continuing to determine any links to other cases,” said the ministry.
Finally, one new case has been confirmed in Hawke’s Bay. “This case is not part of the previously reported Hastings delta cluster. Public health staff have, however, established a link to a previously reported case outside the region.”