New Zealand has so far not recorded any community transmission of the Omicron variant, despite British DJ Dimension testing positive after leaving MIQ.
Omicron cases dropped in a number of countries in Europe on Sunday, but officials said it could have been down to low testing rates on New Year's Day.
From January 5, people 18 and over whose second dose came four months or more ago are eligible for their booster shot and the Ministry of Health is urging Kiwis to get a third shot to help combat an outbreak of Omicron.
The previous wait was six months.
Studies have found while Omicron is far better at infecting vaccinated people than previous strains of the virus, a third dose brings protection back to where it needs to be.
The Ministry of Health is expected to announce the latest new cases at 1pm.
What you need to know:
- There were 27 new community cases announced on Monday
- Forty-four people are in hospital, including five in ICU
- Ninety-four percent of the eligible population in New Zealand has been double vaccinated, this includes 90 percent of Pacific people and 81 percent of Māori.
- Click here for all locations of interest.
These live updates have finished.
3:40pm - The Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) is urging people who visited the Pelican Club, a massage parlour in Auckland, to follow a range of COVID guidelines since there are multiple exposure dates.
So far, six people linked to the venue have tested positive.
Anyone who visited the Pelican Club between Wednesday 22 December and Friday 31 December should:
- Isolate at home for 10 days after the last visit to Pelican Club
- Get tested five days and eight days after they were last at the venue during these dates, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms
- If symptoms develop at any time during the 10 days, get an additional test immediately
- Stay at home until all test results come back negative
- Visit the Locations of Interest website to record their visit online or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. This is so contact tracers can provide further advice.
NRHCC says people who work at the Pelican Club are receiving advice from the manager which is specific to their situation.
2:45pm - There are seven DHBs remaining to hit the 90 percent fully vaccinated goal. These are:
- Northland: 84 percent of eligible population fully vaccinated, 9357 people remaining
- Lakes: 88 percent fully vaccinated, 2251 remaining
- Bay of Plenty: 89 percent fully vaccinated, 1192 remaining
- Tairawhiti: 86 percent fully vaccinated, 1680 remaining
- Taranaki: 89 percent fully vaccinated, 645 remaining
- Whanganui: 87 percent fully vaccinated, 1803 remaining
- West Coast: 88 percent fully vaccinated, 654 remaining.
Northland is still yet to hit 90 percent first doses. It has partially vaccinated 89 percent of its eligible population, with 2382 people remaining.
2:15pm - Over in Australia, Queensland has recorded 4249 new COVID-19 cases and one new death.
More than 20,000 people in the state currently have the virus. There are 147 people in hospital, including 10 in ICU.
The new death is being classed as a "probable" COVID-related illness. Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says the man "died suddenly in his home on the Gold Coast last night".
Testing is ongoing to see if it is COVID-related.
"All I would say very strongly is that it's very, very unusual for a young man to die suddenly from COVID-19," Dr Gerrard said.
"So it needs further investigation exactly what has happened here."
And in New South Wales, 20,794 cases were reported on Monday and four new deaths.
There are 1204 people in hospital, including 95 in ICU.
Lastly, in Victoria, 8577 cases were reported on Monday and three new deaths.
There are 491 people in hospital, including 56 in ICU and 24 who are on ventilators.
1:52pm - From Thursday anyone who had their second vaccination at least four months ago can get their booster jab.
In Auckland the popular Airport Park and Ride drive through vaccination centre has reopened to increase the availability of booster doses and as part of preparations to protect New Zealanders against Omicron.
Located at 42 Verissimo Drive, Māngere, the Park and Ride is operating from 10am-5pm, no appointment needed. It can vaccinate over 4,000 people a day and adds significant surge capacity to the network of general practices, Hauora providers, urgent care clinics and community pharmacies providing vaccinations across Auckland through the holiday period.
1:40pm - There are 44 people in hospital with COVID-19, six in the North Shore Hospital, 12 in Auckland Hospital, 22 in Middlemore, 3 in Tauranga and one in Lakes.
1:27pm - Regional update
Auckland
There are 12 new cases being reported in Auckland today.
Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,295 people to isolate at home, including 367 cases.
Waikato
There are seven new cases in Waikato – two are in Whitianga/Matarangi, one in Te Kuiti, one in Te Awamutu, one in Waihi, one with location data to be confirmed, and one initially reported as Papamoa.
Six have been linked to previous cases and one remains under investigation.
Bay of Plenty
There are seven new cases in the Bay of Plenty.
Four of these cases are in Tauranga, two cases are in Western Bay of Plenty and one case in the Whakatāne District.
Six cases are contacts of previously notified cases, with the remaining still being investigated for potential links.
Lakes
There is one new case in Rotorua, which is still being investigated for potential links.
1:20pm - Read the full statement from the Ministry of Health:
More than 8,189,000 vaccines have now been administered around New Zealand, with almost three thousand doses administered yesterday.
More than 2,200 boosters were administered yesterday. It’s a timely reminder that from this Wednesday, the interval between second doses and boosters reduces from six months to four months.
This means anyone aged 18 and over who had their second vaccination at least four months ago can have their booster dose.
In Auckland the popular Airport Park and Ride drive through vaccination centre has reopened to increase the availability of booster doses and as part of preparations to protect New Zealanders against Omicron.
Located at 42 Verissimo Drive, Māngere, the Park and Ride is operating from 10am-5pm, no appointment needed. It can vaccinate over 4,000 people a day and adds significant surge capacity to the network of general practices, Hauora providers, urgent care clinics and community pharmacies providing vaccinations across Auckland through the holiday period.
We are today reporting 24 cases identified at the border. This number is a reflection on the increase in cases globally and the continued impact of COVID-19 in many parts of the world.
Omicron update
There are no community Omicron cases to report.
There are no new Omicron cases at the border to report.
Testing continues for the contacts of the border-related Omicron case with community exposures, first announced on Wednesday. To date, all test results received from these contacts have been negative.
COVID-19 vaccine update
- Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,975,175 first doses (94%); 3,855,391 second doses (92%); 29,198 third primary doses; 329,318 booster doses
- Vaccines administered yesterday: 135 first doses; 622 second doses; 13 third primary doses and 2,220 booster doses.
- Māori (percentage of eligible people): 500,530 first doses (88%); 461,770 second doses (81%)
- Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 271,383 first doses (95%); 259,317 second doses (90%)
Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)
- Northland DHB: First doses (89%); second doses (84%)
- Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96%); second doses (94%)
- Waikato DHB: First doses (94%); second doses (90%)
- Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)
- Lakes DHB: First doses (92%); second doses (88%)
- Taranaki DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)
- Tairāwhiti DHB: First doses (91%); second doses (86%)
- Hawke’s Bay DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (91%)
- Canterbury DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (95%)
Hospitalisations
Cases in hospital: 44; North Shore: 6; Auckland: 12; Middlemore: 22; Tauranga: 3 Lakes: 1
Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (21 cases / 53.9%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (3 cases / 7.7%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (15 cases / 38.5%); unknown (0)
Average age of current hospitalisations: 56
Cases in ICU or HDU: 5 (3 in Middlemore; 2 in Tauranga)
Cases
- Seven day rolling average of community cases: 42.1
- Number of new community cases: 27
- Number of new cases identified at the border: 24
- Location of new community cases: Auckland (12), Waikato (7), Bay of Plenty (7), Lakes (1)
- Number of community cases (total): 10,954 (in current community outbreak)
- Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 8,208
- Number of active cases (total): 1,138 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classified as recovered)
- Confirmed cases (total): 13,934
Contacts
- Number of active contacts being managed (total): 5,655
- Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 83%
- Percentage who have returned at least one result: 77%
Tests
- Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 7,696
- Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 10,988
- Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 2,765
Wastewater
No unexpected detections
1:17pm - There are 27 community cases in New Zealand today, none of them are Omicron, there are no cases of the new variant at the border either.
1:00pm - We are expecting an update from the Ministry of Health on the new cases at any minute.
12:17pm - Stuff is reporting Dimension, the British DJ who broke MIQ rules and tested positive for Omicron while in the community, won't be prosecuted.
In a statement to Stuff, the Ministry said it needed to balance the effect prosecution would have as a deterrent against action which could damage future cases from cooperating with New Zealand’s public health response.
“The Ministry continues to assess the need for enforcement action in relation to breaches of the Covid-19 Public Health Response Order on a case by case basis, and may seek action in instances where this would support the public health response,” the statement said.
12:04pm - A new book by Professor Mark Woolhouse called The Year the World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir argues the UK didn't need to go into such a long lockdown to combat COVID-19.
He argues not everyone is at the same level of risk from the virus and instead of locking down, more effort should have gone into protecting the vulnerable - such as elderly people. The Guardian reports.
'We did serious harm to our children and young adults who were robbed of their education, jobs and normal existence, as well as suffering damage to their future prospects, while they were left to inherit a record-breaking mountain of public debt.
"All this to protect the NHS from a disease that is a far, far greater threat to the elderly, frail and infirm than to the young and healthy.
"We were mesmerised by the once-in-a-century scale of the emergency and succeeded only in making a crisis even worse. In short, we panicked. This was an epidemic crying out for a precision public health approach and it got the opposite," Professor Woolhouse says in his book.
11:45am - Data shows a significant number of patients in New South Wales who tested positive for COVID-19 while in hospital were there for other reasons.
The data – taken over two days – found 50 percent of COVID patients were hospitalised for other reasons on day one and almost 40 percent on day two Sky News Australia reports.
This comes after Dr Fauci, the chief medical advisor in the US said the same was happening there.
Since all hospital admissions are tested for COVID-19, Fauci said, many are "hospitalised with COVID, as opposed to because of COVID-19," Business Insider reported.
11:10am - Omicron cases dropped in a number of European countries on Sunday with the UK reporting 137,583 new cases, down from 162,572 the day before. France saw a drop from over 200,000 new cases to 58,432 and Italy's numbers dropped from 141,262 to 61,046.
Officials say the drops could be due to low testing numbers over the New Year break.
11:00am - Riot police with batons and shields broke up a crowd of several thousand who had gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against COVID-19 lockdown measures and vaccinations.
Public gatherings of more than two people are prohibited under restrictions imposed by the Netherlands in an effort to prevent the Omicron variant of the coronavirus overwhelming an already strained healthcare system.
At least 30 people were detained after scuffles, during which four officers were injured, police said in a statement.
10:45 - Over 4000 flights were cancelled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them US flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and the surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant.
The flights cancelled by 8 pm GMT on Sunday included over 2,400 entering, departing from or within the United States, according to tracking website FlightAware.com. Globally, more than 11,200 flights were delayed.
Among the airlines with most cancellations were SkyWest and SouthWest, with 510 and 419 cancellations respectively, FlightAware showed.
The Christmas and New Year holidays are typically a peak time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights as pilots and cabin crew quarantine.
Transportation agencies across the United States were also suspending or reducing services due to coronavirus-related staff shortages.
Reuters
