Coronavirus: Latest on COVID-19 community outbreak - Wednesday, December 22

A case of COVID-19 in Hutt Valley is among the 56 new community cases recorded on Wednesday.

That case has a link to the Lakes DHB area, is self-isolating and has a small number of household contacts also isolating.

There were also six new Omicron cases detected in MIQ, taking the country's total to 28. No cases of the variant have been found in the community.

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What you need to know:

The Ministry of Health announced six new Omicron cases in MIQ on Wednesday, taking the total in New Zealand at 28
There were 56 new COVID-19 community cases on Wednesday - 33 in Auckland, six in Waikato, 11 in the Bay of Plenty, four in Lakes, one in Taranaki and one in Hutt Valley
Positive wastewater has been collected in Hutt Valley, Napier, Whitianga, Dargaville and Gisborne
There are 51 people in hospital, with seven in ICU or HDU
The wait time between someone's second vaccine dose and their booster shot has been reduced from six months to four months
The upcoming MIQ room released scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled, the next one will be on January 6 (NZ time).
Start of non-MIQ international travel delayed from January 17 to end of February
Children aged between five and 11 to start receiving vaccines from January 17

3:13pm - A recent returnee who self-discharged from Middlemore Hospital on Monday with her son has now voluntarily returned to MIQ.

Read the full story here.

2:32pm - Several roles at the Nelson City Council are now covered by a vaccine mandate, chief executive Andrew White revealed.

White said public-facing roles such as customer service and library staff are included as well as others who are considered higher risk.

2:05pm - Specsavers in Rotorua has been added to the locations of interest list on Thursday, December 16 between 1:30pm and 1:45pm.

1:50pm - Two new locations of interest have been added on Wednesday afternoon.

Pak'nSave Rotorua on Friday, December 17 between 4:25pm and 6:25pm has been added.

Habibis Kebab at the Bayfair Shopping Centre in Mount Maunganui on Saturday, December 18 between 11:06am to 1:30pm has also been added.

1:30pm - More from the Ministry of Health:

There were 20,328 total vaccine doses administered yesterday, including 1,860 first doses and 6,273 second doses. To date, 94% of eligible people in New Zealand have had their first dose and 90% are double-dosed.

South Canterbury DHB is expected to become the eleventh DHB to hit the 90% fully vaccinated milestone later today based on uptake among its eligible population, with just 59 doses to go as of 11.59pm yesterday.

Next in line based on uptake by their eligible populations are Hawkes Bay DHB (1,308 doses); and Waikato (2,866 doses).

Boosters update

A suite of precautionary measures were announced yesterday in light of emerging experience overseas with Omicron.

This included shortening the period between the second and booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine from six months to four months.

This change comes into effect for walk-in vaccinations from 5 January, and bookings can be made on BookMyVaccine.nz from 17 January.

We encourage anyone who is more than six months post their second vaccination to get their booster now. Other people should wait until 5 January – there will be plenty of booster doses available and no one will miss out.

At this stage, booster doses should only be offered to adults aged 18 years or over.

5-11 year-olds

Parents and caregivers will be able to book vaccinations for 5-11 year-olds from 17 January.

More information on vaccinations

Holiday reminder

People should stick to the basics to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 over the Christmas and New Year break.

That means wearing a mask or face covering and physical distancing in crowded or unventilated spaces, and scanning in using the COVID-19 Tracer app or keeping a manual diary.

As always, people who have any symptoms that could be COVID-19 are asked to get a test and stay at home until they receive a negative result.

The vaccine remains our key defence against all variants of COVID-19, including Omicron. We continue to ask everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, including people who are now eligible for a booster dose.

Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.

Omicron update

Six new cases of Omicron have been detected in recent returnees in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.

That takes the total number of international arrivals to New Zealand with the Omicron variant to 28.

Between the first Omicron case being reported to the World Health Organization on 24 November to 20 December, (the latest data available) 11,014 returnees to New Zealand have been through managed isolation at the border. Of those, 1,877 returnees have gone through managed isolation since whole genome sequencing first identified Omicron at the New Zealand border on 16 December.

Since 1 December, 45 COVID-19 cases have been detected at the New Zealand border, with 28 of those with Omicron.

Health and MIQ teams have been carefully planning for Omicron cases at the border and will continue to manage all arrivals cautiously. This includes isolation and testing requirements for all new arrivals, robust infection and prevention control and PPE measures at airports and MIQ facilities, and frequent surveillance testing of staff who have any contact with recent international returnees.

1:25pm - Here are the main figures from the Ministry of Health:

COVID-19 vaccine update

Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,966,212 first doses (94%); 3,808,013 second doses (90%); 25,313 third primary doses; 227,559 booster doses
Vaccines administered yesterday: 1,860 first doses; 6,273 second doses; 637 third primary doses and 11,558 booster doses
Māori (percentage of eligible people): 497,137 first doses (87%); 446,140 second doses (78%)
Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 269,925 first doses (94%); second doses 254,314 (89%)
Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people):
Northland DHB: First doses (88%); second doses (83%)
Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96%); second doses (93%)
Waikato DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)
Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (88%)
Lakes DHB: First doses (91%); second doses (86%)
Taranaki DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (88%)
Hutt Valley DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (91%)
Nelson-Marlborough DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (90%)
Canterbury DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (94%)

Hospitalisations

Cases in hospital: 51; North Shore: 6; Auckland: 21; Middlemore: 21; Waikato: 2; Tauranga: 1
Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (23 cases / 49%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (5 cases / 11%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (10 cases/ 21%); unknown (9 case / 19%)
Average age of current hospitalisations: 50
Cases in ICU or HDU: 7 (1 in North Shore; 2 in Auckland; 4 in Middlemore)

Cases

Seven day rolling average of community cases: 59.7
Number of new community cases: 56
Number of new cases identified at the border: 4
Location of new community cases: Auckland (33), Waikato (6), Bay of Plenty (11), Lakes (4), Taranaki (1), Hutt Valley (1)
Number of community cases (total): 10,375 (in current community outbreak)
Number of active cases (total): 1,653
Confirmed cases (total): 13,219
Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 7,721

Contacts

Number of active contacts being managed (total):: 6,702
Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 85%
Percentage who have returned at least one result: 78%

Tests

Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 22,223
Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 19,816
Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 8,858

Wastewater

Wastewater detections: Hutt Valley, Napier.

NZ COVID Tracer

Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday: 3,337,724
Manual diary entries in 24 hours to midday: 43,156

My Vaccine Pass

My vaccine pass downloads total: 4,432,184
My vaccine pass downloads (last 24 hours): 27,690

1:20pm - There are six new cases of Omicron in MIQ, taking the total in New Zealand to 28, according to the Ministry of Health.

There are 56 new community cases, including a case in the Hutt Valley with a link to the Lakes DHB.

"The case is self-isolating, and case interviews have identified a small number of household contacts, who are also isolating with testing arranged.

"Case investigations have determined five initial locations of interest, which have been added to the Ministry’s website. Members of the public are asked to monitor the Ministry’s locations of interest page, which is updated regularly.

"We are also asking anyone in the Hutt Valley area with symptoms – no matter how mild – to please get tested, even if they are vaccinated - and remain isolated until they return a negative test result."

Wastewater update

A wastewater sample collected from Hutt Valley on 20 December detected the COVID-19 virus, which is not unexpected given the case reported today, self-isolating in the area.

A separate wastewater detection was from a sample collected from Napier on 20 December. This is the third, consecutive positive wastewater result from Napier in the past week, which may be due to undetected community transmission or a recently recovered case returning to the region shedding the virus.

There was an unexpected wastewater detection, in Whitianga, on 20 December. which may be due to undetected community transmission or a recently recovered case returning to the region shedding the virus, but is no longer infectious.

There also was an unexpected wastewater detection, in Dargaville, on 20 December following a previous positive detection on 7 December.

COVID-19 continues to be detected in wastewater samples collected in Gisborne with the latest detection on 20 December 2021.

Anyone who has symptoms – no matter how mild – is asked to get tested, even if they are vaccinated - and stay home until they return a negative test result. For all testing locations, please visit the Healthpoint website.

There are no other new, unexpected wastewater results to report.

Auckland

Today, there are 33 new cases being reported in Auckland.

Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,941 people to isolate at home, including 590 cases.

Waikato

There are six cases to report in Waikato today; three in Te Kūiti, two in Tokoroa and one who usually resides outside the Waikato and is isolating in Te Kūiti.

There are ten pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating throughout Waikato today with sites in Hamilton, Te Kūiti, Tokoroa, Putāruru, Taumarunui, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia and Ōtorohanga.

Health and welfare providers are supporting 54 cases to isolate at home

For a full list of testing sites, see the Waikato DHB website.

Bay of Plenty

There are 11 cases to report in the Bay of Plenty today.

Of today’s cases, 10 are in Tauranga area and one in Murupara.

Ten of today’s case, including the new case in Murupara, are linked to previously reported cases, and one is still being investigated for potential links.

All cases are isolating at home.

In Murapara, local iwi health provider Te Ika Whenua Hauora is managing testing and vaccination with support from the DHB. A testing centre has been opened and details are available on the Healthpoint website.

Lakes

There are four cases to report in the Lakes DHB area today, including three in Rotorua and one in Taupō.

All four cases remain under investigation for links to previously reported cases. All cases are isolating at home.

Taranaki

Today, one new case is being reported in New Plymouth, which is linked to a previously reported case in New Plymouth.

The case is isolating at home.

Local testing sites can be found on the Taranaki DHB website.

MIQ absconder update

The recent returnee who self-discharged from Middlemore Hospital on Monday along with their child, has voluntarily returned to the facility where they are completing their managed isolation.

The child, who had been taken to Middlemore with their parent as they were too young to be left unattended in managed isolation, has also returned. They returned to the MIQ facility last night. They have seven days of their isolation still to complete.

Further tests have been carried out on both the parent and child.

Police will make enquiries into the incident to see if any further action is required.

1:10pm - Don't worry. We haven't forgotten the 1pm update. It just hasn't arrived yet from the Ministry of Health. We'll bring it to you as soon as it does.

12:45pm - We are now waiting on the 1pm Ministry of Health media release which should shine some light on the situtation in the Wellington region.

12:15pm - There are two new locations of interest:

Warehouse Rotorua - Friday, December 17 between 4:10pm and 4:20pm
Habibis Kebab Bayfair Shopping Centre - Saturday, December 18 between 11:06am and 1:30pm

12:05pm - The United States' population grew at a slower rate in 2021 than in any other year on record as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the more subdued growth the country has experienced in recent years, the US Census Bureau said.

"The slow rate of growth can be attributed to decreased net international migration, decreased fertility, and increased mortality due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic," the Census Bureau said on Tuesday.

The year 2021 is the first time since 1937 that the US population grew by fewer than 1 million people, reflecting the lowest numeric growth since at least 1900, when the Census Bureau began annual population estimates.