Covid 19 coronavirus Omicron outbreak: Wellington, Hutt among highest active cases per 100,000

One Wellington Hospital has more than 20 per cent of staff absent due to Covid-19, as the wider region becomes one of the main epicentres for Omicron in the country.

Today there are nearly 25,000 active cases in the wider region – 15,509 in Capital and Coast DHB and 9420 in Hutt Valley DHB - the Ministry of Health reveals.

Daily case numbers have shown Auckland's outbreak to be waning for more than a week now, while cases continued to rise elsewhere in the country.

Current data shows Capital and Coast DHB and Hutt Valley DHB rank fourth and second for regions with the most active cases per 100,000 people.

Only Tairāwhiti had more active cases per 100,000 people than Hutt Valley.

As at 10.30am this morning, there were 92 schools in the Wellington Region with active cases, including 27 early learning service centres.

There are currently 43 people in Wellington Hospital with Covid-19, and 22 in Hutt Hospital.

Meanwhile, hospitals in the Wellington Region have been hit with staff shortages due to Covid.

CCDHB and HDHB chief medical officer John Tait said Kenepuru Community Hospital in Porirua has been the worst hit, with 21 per cent of its 340 clinical staff absent.

This was a jump on the 18 per cent of staff absent last week, and the DHB announced yesterday the hospital would be closed to visitors for the next three days due to surveillance testing.

As at 11.59pm last night, 14 per cent of the 3500 clinical staff at Wellington Regional Hospital were absent. This compared to 15 per cent last week.

In Hutt Valley, 10 per cent of 1640 staff were absent.

"This absenteeism includes staff absences for a range of reasons – such as caring for dependents who may need to isolate – and absence numbers are continuously changing as people recover, or complete isolation, and return to work," Tait said.

Wellington is operating at 86 per cent capacity, while Hutt Valley is 77 per cent full – showing little change from a week ago.

"While occupancy levels currently being experienced are consistent with what is usually seen at this time of year, the levels of staff absence we are currently seeing in relation to Covid-19 is putting some pressure on our services," Tait said.

"As we have previously forecast, Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs have had to reschedule planned care or specialist appointments. All such decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by patients' clinical teams, and with patient safety as the priority."

On the possibility cases had peaked in the Wellington region, Tait said they were watching the numbers closely.

"As the Covid-19 climate is changing and evolving, we continue to closely monitor the situation for a peak in the near future and plan and adapt accordingly."