- There are 103 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, plus an additional 40 in Auckland that haven’t been counted due to a technical issue.
- A Covid-19 patient has died in North Shore Hospital.
- The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is awaiting a test result in isolation after sharing a flight from Kerikeri to Auckland with an omicron case last weekend.
There are 103 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, the Ministry of Health has announced, but the true number is substantially higher due to 40 cases in Auckland not being counted due to a “technical issue”.
Fifty-six new cases are being reported in Auckland today, but the ministry said “a technical issue has meant that approximately 40 further have not been entered into the ministry’s reporting systems”.
The ministry is “working to resolve the issue” and the additional cases will be reported tomorrow.
The ministry has not given a number of omicron cases today, but said the number of cases connected to the Soundsplash music festival in Hamilton last weekend is expected to grow over the coming days.
Thirty-seven new cases have been detected in MIQ.
Cases across 11 regions
The remaining community cases are in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Tairāwhiti, MidCentral, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Wellington and Nelson Tasman.
There are four new cases in Northland, three of which were reported yesterday. The new case is a household member of an existing case.
There are 12 new cases in the Waikato, with 10 linked to previous cases and two under investigation. Seven are in Hamilton, two in Paeroa, one in Waihi, and two locations not yet confirmed.
Eight new cases are being reported in Rotorua area, six of which are contacts of other cases and two are being investigated.
There are 14 new cases being reported in the Bay of Plenty, eight of which are contacts of existing cases. Three are being investigated. Six of these cases are in the western Bay, four are in Tauranga and one is in the eastern Bay of Plenty. There are three further cases onboard the Singapore-flagged Maersk Bogor container ship, which is currently under quarantine at the Port of Tauranga.
There is one new case to report in Tairāwhiti, which is linked to an existing case and also has links to Soundsplash.
Three new cases are being reported in Hawke’s Bay today. Investigations are under way to determine any potential links to existing cases.
Two bus journeys deemed high-risk locations of interest
There is one new case in MidCentral, linked to an existing case in Tairāwhiti.
Two bus journeys have been published as locations of interest in relation to this case. Anyone who was on either of these buses is considered a close contact and must self-identify by calling the Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or registering here.
The first bus was the InterCity IC6965 bus from Gisborne to Napier which departed Gisborne at 9.30am Friday 28 January and arrived in Napier at 1pm on the same day.
The second bus was the InterCity IC6367 bus from Napier to Wellington, which departed Napier at 1.50pm Friday 28 January and arrived in Wellington at 7.45pm on the same day. Although the case disembarked in Palmerston North, where they later tested positive for Covid-19, the entire trip is considered to be a location of interest and all passengers are close contacts.
There is one new Covid-19 case to report in Taranaki. The new case is a known close contact of cases linked to the Hawke’s Bay region and has been isolating in south Taranaki.
Porirua residents urged to get tested after positive wastewater result
There are two new cases in Wellington, one in the Hutt Valley, linked to an event in Auckland, and one case in Capital & Coast DHB already in isolation and linked to an existing case.
“With a further positive wastewater test result in Porirua, we urge anyone who lives in Porirua and Wellington’s northern suburbs to get a test if they feel unwell with Covid-19 like symptoms,” said the ministry.
There are a number of new locations of interest across the Wellington region, including two inbound flights deemed close contacts where people who were on-board need to self-isolate and test immediately.
There is one new case in Nelson-Tasman today, which was transferred from Christchurch and is isolating in Nelson. Investigations are under way to determine how they are linked to the outbreak.
Death of Covid patient in North Shore Hospital
A Covid-19 patient has died in North Shore Hospital, the Ministry of Health has reported. The person was in their 70s and had a number of underlying conditions. They had been in hospital since January 21.
There are 11 people in hospital with Covid-19 today, none of whom require intensive care.