The Ministry of Health has announced 69 new community cases of COVID-19 and nine new Omicron cases in managed isolation and quarantine on Monday.
The nine new Omicron cases takes the total to 22 of the new variant in New Zealand.
The ministry said all remain in managed isolation with the exception of one case who has now recovered and been released as they are no longer infectious.
Of the 69 new community cases - 59 are in Auckland, seven in the Waikato, two in Bay of Plenty and one in Taranaki.
There are currently 62 people in hospital with 31 in Auckland Hospital, 15 in Middlemore, 11 in North Shore, two in Waikato and three in Tauranga
Seven people are in intensive care or high dependency units. Of those, Three are in Middlemore, two are in Auckland Hospital, one in North Shore Hospital and one in Waikato Hospital.
What you need to know:
- The Ministry of Health has announced nine new Omicron cases on Monday, taking the total in New Zealand to 22
- There were 69 new COVID-19 community cases on Monday - 59 in Auckland, seven in Waikato, two in the Bay of Plenty and one Taranaki.
- Sixty-two people are in hospital, seven of whom are in intensive care or high dependency units.
- Ninety percent of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated.
- The paediatric version of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has been granted provisional approval by Medsafe for use in five-to-11-year-olds.
- The eight millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has now been administered in New Zealand.
- Keep up-to-date with the latest locations of interest here.
3:08pm - The Ministry of Health has added two new locations of interest.
CrackerJack in Fraser Cove, Tauranga South on Wednesday, December 15 between 3:29pm and 5:15pm has been added to the list.
PAKnSAVE Cameron Road in Tauranga has also been added on the same day between 2:00pm to 4:15pm.
2:54pm - The COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board has found the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was probably the cause of myocarditis in a 26-year-old man but was unlikely to be related to a second man.
The Board has been investigating three deaths linked to myocarditis to assess whether they are related to the COVID vaccine
The first was the death of a 13-year-old, but the board said further information was needed before it can make a determination.
The second was the death of a man in his 60s which the board said was "unlikely related to vaccination".
"The time from vaccination to the onset of symptoms and clinical factors point to other causes and is not consistent with a causal link," it said.
The last death was a 26-year-old man, who died within two weeks of his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"This case has been reported to the coroner, who is investigating. Preliminary information from the post-mortem examination has identified myocarditis as the probable cause of death.
"The Board has considered the potential causes of myocarditis in this individual, including the Pfizer vaccine."
The Board noted:
- There were no reported symptoms prior to the vaccine and the symptoms of myocarditis developed in the days immediately following his first vaccine dose.
- The individual had not sought medical advice or treatment for his symptoms.
- Some COVID-19 vaccines, including the Pfizer vaccine, increase the risk of myocarditis; Medsafe issued an Alert communication for myocarditis as a rare adverse reaction of the Pfizer vaccine on 21 July 2021.
- COVID-19 infection increases the risk of myocarditis substantially more than vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine.
- There are many possible causes of myocarditis, the most common being viral infection; an average of 95 people (SAFE study) are discharged from hospital with a principal diagnosis of myocarditis in New Zealand every year.
- Myocarditis is a treatable condition, if identified, and outcomes are better the earlier that treatment is started.
- With the current available information, the Board has considered that the myocarditis was probably due to vaccination in this individual.
"The Board considers that the circumstances of these cases do not impact or change the known information on myocarditis, and the benefits of vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 continue to greatly outweigh the risk of such rare side effects. The Board has recommended actions to be taken by the COVID-19 Vaccine and Immunisation Programme to continue to highlight myocarditis as a very rare side effect of the Pfizer vaccine.
"The Board noted that COVID-19 infection can itself be a cause of myocarditis as well as other serious illnesses and it remains safer to be vaccinated than to be infected with the virus."
2:15pm - The Ministry of Health has announced one new location of interest at 1pm in Papamoa.
The new location is:
TAB Papamoa
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
1:39pm - The Ministry of Health has announced two new locations of interest at 1pm in Tauranga and Taranaki.
The new locations are:
Makz Gear Tauranga
Yarrows Bakery Manaia Taranaki
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
1:25pm - The ministry is reminding New Zealanders that vaccinations and rapid antigen testing remain available at many pharmacies around the country.
"We want to reiterate our thanks to pharmacy staff for their part in New Zealand’s defence against COVID-19," the ministry said.
They urge all New Zealanders to be kind to frontline staff over the festive season.
"It’s really important to remember frontline staff right across the health sector are doing the best they can to help in a timely way – please be patient and kind to all staff."
1:22pm - Here is a COVID-19 vaccination update.
- Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,964,319 first doses (94 percent); 3,801,569 second doses (90 percent); 24,652 third primary doses; 215,914 booster doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 784 first doses; 3,360 second doses; 94 third primary doses and 2,988 booster doses.
- Māori (percentage of eligible people): 496,493 first doses (87 percent); 444,227 second doses (78 percent)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 269,674 first doses (94 percent); 253,681 second doses (88 percent)
Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)
- Northland DHB: First doses (88 percent); second doses (83 percent)
- Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96 percent); second doses (93 percent)
- Waikato DHB: First doses (93 percent); second doses (89 percent)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93 percent); second doses (87 percent)
- Lakes DHB: First doses (91 percent); second doses (86 percent)
- Taranaki DHB: First doses (93 percent); second doses (88 percent)
- Nelson-Marlborough DHB: First doses (94 percent); second doses (90 percent)
- Canterbury DHB: First doses (98 percent); second doses (94 percent)
1:17pm - The ministry said that of the current hospitalisations in the Northern region, 31 cases (56 percent) are unvaccinated or not eligible, six cases (11 percent) are partially vaccinated and 15 cases (27 percent) are fully vaccinated.
The average age of people in the hospital is 52.
The ministry has announced that the MidCentral DHB became the ninth of our 20 DHBs to achieve the 90 percent milestone for its eligible population to be fully vaccinated.
They said that the Nelson-Marlborough DHB is next in line to hit the 90 percent mark for full vaccination of its eligible population, with just 550 doses to go as of midnight on Sunday.
Other regions close to meeting the target include South Canterbury (280 doses); Hawkes Bay (1,990 doses); and Waikato (4,126 doses).
The ministry provided an update on Māori vaccinations. The Wairarapa DHB has just 12 doses remaining to reach 90 percent partially vaccinated for its population while the Southern DHB has 74 doses and Waitemata 263 doses.
For the Pacific communities, the Whanganui DHB has just 56 doses to go to be 90 percent partially vaccinated, joining all the other 19 DHBs to have reached this mark.
MidCentral DHB has just 19 doses to go to reach 90 percent of its Pacific population being fully vaccinated, with Canterbury only 46 doses away, and Waikato with just 120 doses to go. Nine other DHBs have already hit this milestone.
The ministry said, "these significant achievements reflect ongoing hard work by vaccinators across the motu and cap off a huge year for the programme."
1:09pm - Here is a regional update provided by the ministry.
The ministry said they are continuing to ask anyone in New Zealand with symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if you’re vaccinated.
They ask people that do get tested to stay at home until they return a negative test result.
Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.
Auckland
Today, there are 59 new cases being reported in Auckland.
Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,999 people to isolate at home, including 551 cases.
Waikato
There are seven cases to report in Waikato today; five in Te Kūiti, one in Huntly and one in Tokoroa.
There are eight pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating throughout Waikato today with sites in Hamilton, Te Kūiti, Taumarunui, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia and Ōtorohanga.
There are two COVID-19 positive individuals receiving care at Waikato Hospital.
There were 1108 tests processed in Waikato yesterday and 424 vaccinations given.
In the Waikato, Public Health, primary care and manaaki providers are supporting 55 cases to isolate at home.
Bay of Plenty
There are two cases to report in the Western Bay of Plenty today.
Of today’s cases, one is linked to previously reported cases, and one is still being investigated for potential links. Both are isolating at home.
Contacts are being identified and will be contacted for testing and isolation advice.
Taranaki
One new case is being reported today in Taranaki, who is linked to a case in New Plymouth.
This takes the total active cases in the region to 31.
Taranaki residents who have symptoms, even if they are mild and you are vaccinated, are asked to please get tested. Local testing sites can be found on the Taranaki DHB website.
1:02pm - The Ministry of Health has announced 69 new community cases of COVID-19 and nine new Omicron cases in managed isolation and quarantine on Monday.
The nine new announced Omicron cases, takes the total to 22 of the new variant in New Zealand.
The ministry said all remain in managed isolation with the exception of one case who has now recovered and been released as they are no longer infectious.
Of the 69 new community cases 59 are in Auckland, seven in the Waikato, two in Bay of Plenty and one in Taranaki.
There are currently 62 people in hospital with 31 in Auckland Hospital, 15 in Middlemore, 11 in North shore, two in Waikato and three in Tauranga.
Seven people are in intensive care or high dependency units. Of those, Three are in Middlemore, two are in Auckland Hospital, one in North Shore Hospital and one in Waikato Hospital.
12:45pm - The Government has delayed the decision to announce whether it will reduce the time between the second dose of the vaccine and a booster shot until Tuesday.
12:40pm - Stand by, the Ministry of Health will provide the latest COVID-19 case numbers via a press-release, due at 1pm. We will bring you that data as soon as it comes to hand.
12:30pm - Tai Tokerau Border Control regional coordinator Reuben Taipari is denying Northland's iwi-led checkpoint was designed to obstruct travellers from entering the region.
Taipari told Newstalk ZB the checkpoints, which has since been lifted in favour of police spot checks, were "successful" and acted as a "form of defence".
"COVID is rocking the world and we've got to take it seriously because it's summertime… Mainly, what we're really happy about is that everybody came through double vaxxed - 99 percent came through double vaxxed or had their negative test and that just says the campaign that we drove out there was a successful one."
Read the full story here.
12:15pm - The Ministry of Health has announced 11 new locations of interest at 12pm.
The new locations are:
New World Te Puke
Chiropractor on Fraser Tauranga
Liquor Spot Te Puke
Vodafone Rotorua Central Mall
Pak'nSave Rotorua
Makz Gear 52 2nd Avenue Tauranga
Liquor Spot Te Puke
Better Quality Pies Ohinemutu Rotorua
Mayfair Ice Cream Parlour and Dairy, Te Puke
Kmart Rotorua Central
Yarrows Bakery Manaia Taranaki
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
11:50pm - New Zealand businessman Sir Ian Taylor has slammed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for saying people should have "a wonderful break - you bloody deserve it".
Sir Ian has been pushing for the Government to make improvements to our COVID-19 response, particularly at the border.
Sir Ian told Newstalk ZB the current situation is "one of the most dangerous times of this pandemic".
"The Prime Minister said to everyone, 'Go take your break, you bloody deserve it' and I was staggered by that. Nobody should be talking about a break right now," he said.
"Summer should be where we have the best opportunity to start putting defences in place for the upcoming onslaught which is winter. Winter will bring in the flu, it will bring in COVID."
Read the full story here.
11:25am - Victoria has recorded 1302 new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Monday.
This is a slight increase from Sunday where they reported 1240 new infections.
The state recorded no new deaths on Monday compared to four on Sunday.
The Victorian Department of Health said there has been an increase of hospitalised patients - it's now 406 people compared to 392 on Sunday.
Eighty-one people are in ICU with 43 people on a ventilator.
Ninety-two percent of people aged 12 or older are fully vaccinated in the state and there are currently 13,175 active cases.
11:14am - The Ministry of Health has announced five new locations of interest at 11am.
The new locations are:
New World 12 Jocelyn Street Te Puke
Chemist Warehouse The Valley Waiwhakaiho New Plymouth
Look Sharp Store New Plymouth
Gull Lake Road Koutu Rotorua
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
11:10am - New South Wales has reported 2,501 new cases of COVID-19 in the community. It is the first day in over a week that case numbers have come down.
On Sunday, the state reported a new record-high number of daily cases after 1566 infections were confirmed.
NSW Health said there has been an increase of hospitalised patients on Monday - it's now 261 people compared to 227 on Sunday.
Thirty-three people are in intensive care - up from 28 on Sunday.
There are no new deaths in the state for the second day in a row.
NSW Health said that 94.9 percent of people aged 16 or older have had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 93.4 percent have had two doses.
10:52am - The pressure is continuing to mount on UK prime Minister Boris Johnson as photos emerge of him with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in the Downing Street garden during the 2020 lockdown.
The photos were published on Sunday (local time) by the UK newspaper, the Guardian.
His office denied that he broke lockdown rules saying there were staff meetings in the garden that day.
Johnson has been hit by a string of media stories in recent weeks over alleged Christmas parties in government offices, including his own, last year in breach of COVID-19 lockdowns and has ordered an investigation.
The reports have dismayed voters who were told by the Government to sacrifice their own Christmas events last year, and who face the possibility of being told to curb their Christmas plans for a second year running as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly.
Read the full story here.
10:30am - Doctors ready for speedy booster roll-out if the Government decides to reduce the wait time between the second dose of the COVID vaccine and the booster shot.
The chair of General Practice, Dr Jeff Lowe, said there are enough vaccinators, appointments and doses to get started straight away.
"We have the vaccine supply to be able to deliver it and if we need to do it early we have the capacity to do that across general practices, pharmacies and vaccination centres. So if they do decide to move it forward, yes I think we can get ahead of the curve and start getting people boosted as soon as we can."
Read the full story here.
10:10am - The Ministry of Health has announced five new locations of interest at 10am.
The new locations are:
Domino's Fitzroy New Plymouth
Liquor Spot Te Puke
BP Te Puke
DK's Seafood Tauranga South
Mayfair Icecream Parlour and Dairy, Te Puke,
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
9:50am - Omicron cases are surging in the United States with health officials urging Americans to get their booster shots and wear a mask in public.
Omicron has been found in 43 out of 50 US states and about 90 countries so far.
Chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci warned Americans they will be in for a tough few months ahead.
"With Omicron, that we're dealing with, it is going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter," Dr Fauci told CNN's State of the Union.
Currently, 27 percent of US residents have not gotten even a single dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It is just, you know, raging through the world," Dr Fauci said of Omicron on NBC's Meet the Press.
Read the full story here.
9:25am - COVID-19 experts have given a stark warning that a summer Omicron outbreak could mirror the huge jump in community cases seen in New South Wales.
New Zealand recorded five more cases of the new variant on Sunday taking the total in the country to 13.
Te Pūnaha Matatini complex systems researcher Dion O'Neale said that some environments clearly posed a higher risk.
Environments like nightclubs, concerts and even restaurants and cafes could be the site of dozens of infections if a positive case attended.
"It's the case of having lots of small events where people might be infecting dozens of people at a time. That's a way that you really quickly get things out of control," Dr O'Neale said
"Orange, as a traffic light level as part of the COVID Protection Framework, isn't really fit for purpose if we have Omicron in the community."
Read the full story here.
9:10am - The Ministry of Health has announced five new locations of interest at 9am, predominantly in New Plymouth.
The new locations are:
Z Service Station Te Puke
Subway Bell Block, New Plymouth
Chemist Warehouse The Valley Waiwhakaiho New Plymouth
The Christmas Village New Plymouth
Animates New Plymouth
Click here for all the locations of interest and the advice from the ministry.
8:50am - Cabinet on Monday will consider whether to shorten the wait time between the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster shot.
Currently, the gap is six months, but some health experts want that time period to reduce.
This comes after studies suggest that three doses of the vaccine is better at stopping the spread of Omicron.
Last week, Australia shortened the wait time for booster shots from six months to five after a rise in Omicron cases.
8:35am - A public health expert is calling on the Government to make the "tough" and "unpopular" decision to keep New Zealand's border shut, as Omicron cases rise.
On Sunday, New Zealand recorded five more cases of the new variant taking the total to 13.
Epidemiologist and the chair of the Strategic COVID-19 Public Health Advisory Group, Sir David Skegg told RNZ on Monday, until more people get their booster shots, the Government should delay opening the border.
"There is an urgent need to get boosters into people, that is something I think is a really high priority," Skegg said. "From a health point of view, we should delay opening the borders right away and I don't envy the Government that has to make the decision because that would be extremely unpopular.
"It's funny we all ask the Government to be nimble in decision making but if they change a decision like that, they get accused of flip-flop, so they're going to have to make a very difficult decision.
"But from a public health point of view, there is no doubt we should be delaying that decision until as many people as possible have had their booster shot because there is mounting evidence that two shots of the vaccine is not enough to protect against omicron."
8:20am - New Zealand skier Alice Robinson has tested positive for COVID-19 in Europe.
The 20-year-old returned a positive in France and had to withdraw from her World Cup Super G race in Val d’Isere on Sunday (local time).
"So some of you may have seen that I didn't race the Super G in Val d'sere today," Robinson wrote on her Facebook page. "Unfortunately I've tested positive to COVID-19 this past week while at my base in Italy and have been in isolation since.
"This means I will probably have to sit out the 2 GS races this coming week in Courchevel which I am extremely disappointed about.
"I'm doing fine and just aiming to recover as quickly as I can and try to get back on the slopes as soon as possible," Robinson said in a statement posted on her social media.
8:17am - Kia ora, good morning, and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak for Monday, December 20.
