Zoe Hunter: It's time to press the reset button with Omicron poised for attack

Guy Body's editorial cartoon of Omicron's unstoppable arrival. Photo / Guy Body / NZME

OPINION:

New Zealanders, it is time to get prepared for a major rise in Covid-19 cases.

We have been enjoying lower patient numbers throughout the summer holiday period as other countries, such as Australia, grapple with exploding case numbers.

But this surely can't last. Omicron is piling up at the New Zealand border and I fear the floodgates are about to burst.

Covid-19 modelling expert Michael Plank told NZME this week that Kiwis could expect an Omicron outbreak in a little more than two weeks if cases at MIQ continue to climb.

A Rotorua MIQ worker tested positive with Covid-19 on Wednesday and is currently isolating. Officials are investigating whether the infection of the fully-vaccinated worker originated from the community or the facility.

It comes as 13 new Covid cases were reported in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board area and three in Lakes yesterday - two of which were in Rotorua, one being the MIQ worker, and the other in Taupō.

These numbers seem so low compared to the hundreds that were seeping through a few months back.

This comes as vaccination rates continue to climb. The Bay of Plenty officially reached 90 per cent fully vaccinated just recently and Lakes district is not far behind.

The warmer weather is also pushing more people outdoors where it is reportedly harder for the virus to take hold - the beaches and the lakes have been hectic since Christmas.

But Plank says the increasing MIQ numbers tell a different story. And if that upward trend continues, he believes the Omicron variant could be circulating in the community within 18 days.

There is no crystal ball to show exactly how long it will be until Omicron does arrive in all its glory, but the Ministry of Health says the new variant will continue to be the most prevalent at the border.

Plank warns New Zealand should prepare for a potential summer Omicron outbreak. He urges everyone eligible for a vaccine booster to get one immediately.

I agree and urge people to get vaccinated or get their booster if eligible if they have not already.

On January 17, parents can take their children aged between 5 and 11 to get jabbed.

Covid-19 has changed and that means we must change too. We need to press the reset button on how we are adapting and living in this (dare I say it) new normal.

The safety messages are simple: properly wear masks when out and about, social distance, scan in with the Covid app, get vaccinated and get a vaccine pass, stay home if symptomatic and, finally, use common sense.

Most of all, remember to be kind and respectful to people.

When Omicron begins spreading into our communities, we as a team of 5 million need to be fully armed and at the ready the best we can be.