The Ministry of Health has announced 39 new cases of COVID-19 in the community and four further Omicron cases in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
Two of the new Omicron cases were on the same international flight as New Zealand's first case of the new variant while two additional cases arrived on separate flights from Singapore.
The ministry said of the 39 new cases - there were 25 new cases in Auckland, 11 in Bay of Plenty, two in the Lakes District and one in Taranaki.
The figures on Saturday do not cover a full 24 hour period due to the ministry changing the reporting times to a midnight-to-midnight cycle from 9am-to-9am.
A Dunedin man died in November, 12 days after getting his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Rory Nairn, 26, suffered myocarditis-like symptoms for nearly two weeks before dying, 1 News reports.
It's believed around 0.003 percent of vaccine recipients in New Zealand report myocarditis symptoms, which can be treated, particularly if caught early.
What you need to know:
- The Ministry of Health has announced a further four new cases of Omicron on Saturday taking the total to eight.
- There are 39 new cases of COVID-19 to report on Friday - 25 in Auckland, 11 in Bay of Plenty, two in Lakes and one in Taranaki.
- Forty-nine people are in hospital, five of whom are in intensive care or high dependency units.
- A number of people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in Eltham, Taranaki as part of a "growing cluster" associated with a case reported over the weekend. The majority of the cases are pupils at a local school.
- 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.
- Keep up-to-date with the latest locations of interest here.
These live updates have finished.
3:10pm - The Ministry of Health has announced seven new locations of interest as of 3pm;
- Ministry of Social Development Mt Maunganui Thursday 9 December 4:22pm - 4:35pm
- Peter Alexander Mount Maunganui Thursday 9 December 12:25pm - 1:45pm
- Bayfair Shopping Centre Mount Maunganui Thursday 9 December 10:30am - 12:30pm
- Te Wananga o Aotearoa Cafeteria New Plymouth Saturday 11 December 1pm - 2pm
- Bunnings Warehouse Mt Maunganui Thursday 9 December 1:15pm - 2:45pm
- Sand Bakery and Cafe Tauranga Tuesday 14 December 9:30am - 10am
The Ministry of Social Development in Mt Maunganui also recorded a second separate potential exposure event from 10am to 12:45pm on Friday 10 December.
Click here for all the locations of interest and advice from the ministry.
1:53pm - Here is a COVID-19 vaccine update:
- Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,961,764 first doses (94 percent); 3,791,509 second doses (90 percent); 24,355 third primary doses; 205,979 booster doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 2,039 first doses; 7,600 second doses; 832 third primary doses and 11,024 booster doses.
- Māori (percentage of eligible people): 495,279 first doses (87 percent); 440,400 second doses (77 percent)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 267,999 first doses (93%); 251,330 second doses (88 percent)
Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)
- Northland DHB: First doses (88 percent); second doses (82 percent)
- Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (95 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 (85 percent)
- Taranaki DHB: First doses (93 percent); second doses (87 percent)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: First doses (94 percent); second doses (88 percent)
- Nelson-Marlborough DHB: First doses (94 percent); second doses (89 percent)
- Canterbury DHB: First doses (97 percent); second doses (94 percent)
1:47pm - The ministry said there are 49 people in hospital, down from 51 on Friday, while five people are in ICU or HDU.
Of the people in ICU or HDU - two are in Auckland Hospital, two in Middlemore and one in North Shore Hospital.
The average age of people in hospital is 53.
The ministry said of the patients in Northern region hospitals, 24 (59 percent) were unvaccinated or not eligible, six (15 percent) were partially immunised and nine (22 percent) were fully vaccinated. The vaccination status of the remaining two (5 percent) was not known.
1:39pm - Here is a regional update on the cases from the Ministry of Health.
Today, we are reporting new community cases in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Lakes and Taranaki.
Please note Saturday’s figures do not cover a full 24 hour period due to the change in reporting times to a midnight-to-midnight cycle from 9am-to-9am.
Regional updates
The ministry are continuing to ask anyone in New Zealand with symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if you’re vaccinated. Please stay at home until you return a negative test result.
Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.
Auckland
Today, there are 25 new cases being reported in Auckland.
Health and welfare providers are now supporting 2,042 people to isolate at home, including 555 cases.
Bay of Plenty
There are 11 new cases being reported in the Bay of Plenty on Saturday. Of those eight are in Tauranga and three are in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Following initial investigations, the Western Bay of Plenty cases and three of the Tauranga cases appear to be linked to existing cases. Interviews with the remaining cases to determine any possible connections are ongoing.
Lakes
There are two news cases being reported in the Lakes region on Saturday, both are in Rotorua. Both have potential links to existing cases.
Taranaki
There is one new case being reported in Taranaki on Saturday. They are linked to the Eltham cluster.
Testing is available on Saturday and Sunday at:
- Taranaki Base Hospital testing centre, 9am – 3pm
- Hawera Hospital testing centre, 10am – 2pm
1:33pm - The Ministry of Health has announced 39 new COVID-19 community cases on Saturday and a further four Omicron cases in recent international arrivals.
The ministry says there are 25 new cases in Auckland, 11 in Bay of Plenty, two in the Lakes district and one in Taranaki.
Two of the new Omicron cases were on the same international flight as New Zealand's first case of the new variant while two additional cases arrived on separate flights from Singapore.
One case travelled on a flight from Singapore to Auckland on 13 December and the second case was on a flight from Singapore to Christchurch on 15 December.
Of the eight Omicron cases, two are in a bubble but the other six cases are unrelated to each other suggesting no cross-contamination or cross-infection either in-flight or within MIQ facilities, the ministry says.
"We are carrying out whole genome sequencing on all new border cases of COVID-19 to rapidly identify any new cases of the Omicron variant," the ministry says.
"As a precautionary interim measure, all passengers on flights with Omicron cases are required to complete all ten days at a managed isolation facility – rather than spending the last three days of their isolation period in self-isolation."
1:05pm - We are standing by for the latest update from the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, two new locations of interest have been identified as of 1pm,
- Bayfair Shopping Centre, Mount Maunganui
- Mitre 10 Mega Tauranga
Click here for all the locations of interest and advice from the ministry.
12:40pm - Stand by, the Ministry of Health will provide the latest COVID-19 case numbers via a news release, due at 1pm. We will bring you that data as soon as it comes to hand.
12:15pm - The Cook Islands has announced new entry rules for people once the border reopens in mid-January.
Under the Safe Framework there will be three different groups of visitors able to enter the country, each group will need to comply with its own particular set of rules.
The three groups are tourists, permit holders, Cook Islanders and permanent residents.
The Cook Island announced in December that quarantine and isolation-free travel between New Zealand and the island nation would resume on 14 January.
For you Kiwis looking to go across to the Cook Islands once the border reopens, here are the rules you should know.
All three groups must complete the TMO online form 96 hours before departure, return a negative PCR COVID test undertaken within 48 hours of departure and they must have been in New Zealand for at least 10 days before entry into the Cook Islands.
Tourists may only enter if they are fully vaccinated and there are no exceptions to this requirement. Consequently, children under 12 years will not be able to enter the country unless and until they are vaccinated.
Read the full story here with all the new rules.
11:45am - Victoria has announced 1,504 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday.
Victoria Health said that seven people have died from the virus, while 384 people are in hospital and 84 are in ICU.
The new cases announced on Saturday is slightly down from Friday where there were 1,510 infections recorded.
Victoria Health said more than 92 percent of the state over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.
11:27am - New South Wales is reporting 2,482 new COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm Friday.
NSW Health announced that one person has died from the virus, while 206 people are in hospital and 26 are in ICU.
The case numbers are the highest recorded in any Australian state in a 24-hour reporting period.
The new cases announced on Saturday is up from 2,213 recorded on Friday. New South Wales also reported 185 of Omicron on Friday.
NSW Health said that more than 93 percent of the state's eligible population is now fully vaccinated.
Cases have been surging in the NSW and have increased for the sixth day in a row. On Monday last week, the state only recorded 536 new cases.
11:10am - The Ministry of Health has announced one new location of interest in Tauranga. It is:
- Pak'nSave Tauranga, Wednesday 8 December 2:45pm - 5pm
Click here for all the locations of interest and advice from the ministry.
10:50am - COVID is surging in the United States with hospitalizations and cases rapidly increasing.
Hospitalizations have increased by 45 percent over the last month while cases have increased by 40 percent to a seven-day average of 123,000 new infections a day, according to a Reuters tally.
Dr Tom Frieden, former chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is urging all Americans to get vaccinated and get their booster shots as Omicron cases continue to increase quickly.
"GET BOOSTED NOW. Tidal wave of Omicron likely coming to a hospital near you soon," Dr. Frieden said on Twitter.
Read the full story here.
10:27am - The Ministry of Health has announced one new 'close contact' location of interest in Tauranga. It is:
- Judea Tavern Tauranga, Saturday 11 December 11:30pm - Sunday 12 December 1pm
The Ministry says anyone who was at the Judea Tavern in Tauranga at anytime on Saturday 11 December at 11:30pm to Sunday 12 December 1pm needs to self-isolate and get a test immediately and on day five after you were exposed at this location of interest.
Click here for all the locations of interest and advice from the ministry.
10:20am - A study by Imperial College London has found the risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant is more than five times higher and it has shown no sign of being milder than Delta.
The results were based on UK Health Security Agency and National Health Service data on people who tested positive for COVID-19 in a PCR test in England between November 29 and December 11.
"Controlling for vaccine status, age, sex, ethnicity, asymptomatic status, region and specimen date, Omicron was associated with a 5.4-fold higher risk of reinfection compared with Delta," the study, which was dated December 16, added.
Read the full story here.
10am - With Omicron cases surging around the world and New Zealand having four cases in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ), experts are trying to figure out how effective vaccines are against the new variant.
An epidemiologist and public health researcher at an American University explains the way researchers calculate how well a vaccine prevents disease, what influences these numbers and how omicron is changing things.
Read the full story here.
9:40am - COVID-19 cases are sweeping through Europe as countries look at re-introducing restrictions.
Britain continues to see a surge of COVID-19 cases, as they report a new high of 93,045 infections on Friday, breaking the record set on Thursday of 88,376 cases. Another 111 lost their lives.
New data from the UK suggests Omicron does not cause a milder form of COVID-19, as some have reported.
Denmark's government on Friday proposed new restrictions to curb the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant,
Click here for all the latest COVID news from around the world.
9:15am - If you're heading away for Christmas, you're going to want to know what colour of the COVID-19 Protection Framework - traffic light system - your region is in.
Take a second to check and see what restrictions will be in place.
No levels will change until 11:59pm on December 30, when the entire country goes orange apart from Northland.
Read the full story here.
9:05am - Kia ora, good morning, and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak for Saturday, December 18.
