Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 209 new cases as people leave for Waitangi Weekend, booster gap shrinks

The number of community cases in the Omicron outbreak has hit a new daily record - 209 - but there are only nine people in hospital, officials say.

The announcement of the 209 community cases - close to the 215 daily cases at the peak of the Delta outbreak in November - comes as many New Zealanders depart cities and towns for the long Waitangi Day weekend.

With the country on the brink of the holiday weekend, the Ministry of Health reminded those heading away to have plans in place in case they are identified as a close contact, get Covid-19 symptoms, or discover they have Covid-19.

"You are likely to need to self-isolate wherever you become a close contact or test positive, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans."

The most common early symptoms of the Omicron variant are a sore or scratchy throat, and a runny nose. "If you have any of these symptoms, please get a test."

The ministry also reminded people that only those people who have Covid-19 symptoms – or have been at a location of interest at the relevant time – need to get a test and isolate at home until a negative result is returned.

Thousands of daily cases are expected at the peak of the outbreak, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and officials have once again urged Kiwis to get boosted as soon as possible.

Today has been the first opportunity for an estimated one million Kiwis to take advantage of the shortened timeframe between their second vaccine jab and the booster shot. The period has been shortened from four months to three months, and hundreds took up the chance to get their booster.

Just under 35 per cent of New Zealand's eligible population have already received their booster shot before today - a percentage that should also rise sharply from here.

Meanwhile, there are nine Covid patients in hospital today, spread across North Shore, Middlemore, Auckland, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay and Christchurch hospitals. One person is in ICU. The average age of those hospitalised with Covid-19 is 52.

209 new cases

Today's new community cases are in Northland (21), Auckland (99), Waikato (51), the Lakes DHB region (15), Bay of Plenty (15), Hawke's Bay (3), Tairāwhiti (4) and the MidCentral (1) area.

The seven day rolling average for community cases is 128. The average for border cases is 49.

In the last 24 hours, 20,525 Covid-19 tests were taken, including 10,383 in Auckland.

The Ministry announced Māori in Aotearoa would reach 90% partial vaccination or first doses today, with the country just 142 doses away from the milestone.

On Covid-19 vaccinations, for eligible Māori aged 12 and over, 89.9% had received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 85% had received two doses.

For the eligible NZ population, 96% of eligible people have had one dose, 94% have received their second dose.

Yesterday there were 45,931 booster doses given.

The ministry reminded people of the importance of getting their booster when it was due, calling it "one of the best things" you could do with Omicron in New Zealand.

For paediatric vaccines, 40 per cent of 5-11-year-olds have received their first dose.

For paediatric vaccines for Māori, aged 5-11, 22 per cent have received their first dose.

Twenty nine per cent of Pacific peoples, aged 5-11, have had their first dose of the paediatric Covid-19 vaccine.

There are 21 new cases in Northland; 12 in Kerikeri, five in Hokianga and four in Whangārei.

There was a positive detection of the virus in a wastewater sample taken from Whatuwhiwhi on 31 January.

There was also a positive wastewater sample collected from Mangawhai on 1 February.

The Ministry of Health said anyone in these areas with symptoms is asked to please get a test.

In Auckland, there are 99 new cases. Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,692 people in the region to isolate at home, including 642 cases.

Of the 51 new Waikato cases, 18 are based in Hamilton, one is in Matamata and the others are still under investigation.

Twenty three of these cases are linked and the rest are under investigation for linked to other known cases.

The ministry announced 15 new cases in Rotorua, with 13 linked to existing cases and two yet to be connected to the outbreak.

One of the new 15 cases in the Bay of Plenty is a resident at Radius Lexham Park aged residential care facility in Katikati.

The case is linked to a previous case in a staff member at the facility who tested positive on January 27.

All residents had been self-isolating and daily Rapid Antigen Tests are being carried out for all staff and residents, the ministry said.

In addition, the facility was following the recommended response measures including staff wearing full PPE.

The 15 total new cases in the Bay of Plenty are all linked to previous cases. Six are in Tauranga and nine are in the Western Bay of Plenty area.

There are four new cases to report in Tairāwhiti today.

Three of the new cases are household contacts of previously announced cases and were isolating when they tested positive.

Meanwhile, one of the cases was being investigated for links to a previously reported case.

In addition to the four Tairāwhiti cases, there is one other case in region which was not included in today's numbers as the Ministry was notified after the daily reporting cut-off.

This fifth person's links to a previously reported case was also under investigation.

There are three new cases in the Hawke's Bay which have all been linked to previously reported cases and were already isolating when they tested positive.

In the Mid Central area, there is one new case which is a household contact of a case and was already isolating.

There are three new cases in the Marlborough region which are all close contacts of previously reported cases and were isolating when they tested positive.

These Marlborough cases were not included in today's numbers as the ministry was notified after the daily reporting cut-off.

Investigations are underway to identify any exposure events linked to these Marlborough cases.

There are 5,253 active contacts being managed.

The full travel history for five of the 64 Covid-19 border cases announced today was yet to be obtained.

The other border cases had arrived from Israel, the US, Australia, the UK, Pakistan, India, Italy, France, Sri Lanka, Oman, Japan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Netherlands and Bangladesh.

As Kiwis prepare to scatter to all corners of the country for the upcoming long weekend, the drive to get more people boosted against Omicron ramped up today with the three-month gap taking effect.

The threat of infection spread has triggered a warning to holidaymakers in a week which has seen Auckland once more become the nation's Covid hotspot.

Yesterday, there were more than 147 new community cases and 44 detected at the border.

Auckland was the most infected region with 90 new cases in a day. There were 15 cases in Waikato, 14 in Northland, with the rest of the cases across Bay of Plenty, Taupō, Hawke's Bay and Wellington.

People across New Zealand today took advantage of the revised Pfizer booster schedule, which was brought forward a month earlier in the week, lining up at vaccination stations and clinics across the country.

It will mean a million more New Zealanders will be eligible for their booster shot.

So far more than 1.3 million people have had the extra jab, regarded as the best defence against the highly contagious Omicron variant.

It comes as health officials have urged travellers ahead of the long weekend to prepare to self-isolate if away from home.

Holidaymakers are being told to prepare for self-isolation should they end up with Covid-19 or come into contact with an infected person this long weekend. Photo / Jed Bradley

"You are likely to need to self-isolate wherever you become a close contact or test positive, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for accommodation and changing your travel plans," the ministry said.

"There are limited alternative accommodation options for those who are unable to safely isolate in their own homes or if they have travelled elsewhere, and as case numbers rise, the accommodation will be focused on those with high needs."

Officials warned travel contributed to the spread of the infection and said it was important people going away took measures to reduce the risk of both catching and spreading the virus.

Anyone with any symptoms is advised not to travel. Instead, they should get a test and isolate at home until a negative result is returned.

"The most common early symptoms of the Omicron variant are a sore or scratchy throat, and a runny nose. If you have any of these symptoms, please get a test."

Holidaymakers were advised to wear a mask inside, physical distance and scan in at locations using the Covid Tracer app.

Earlier today Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he was sceptical about projected international modelling that tens of thousands of new community cases would be surging across New Zealand by this long Waitangi Day holiday weekend.

Questioned on earlier figures that up to 50,000 new cases would be emerging by Waitangi Day - and 80,000 a day a few weeks later - Hipkins described the calculations as useful, saying it was better to have some modelling than none.

"I've always been pretty sceptical about the models," he told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.

"They are useful. It's better to have some modelling than no modelling. It's a little bit like the weather forecast. Some nights they say it's going to rain tomorrow and it turns out being a nice sunny day."