Covid-19 Omicron: Days before extent of spread known, modeller says

By RNZ

New Zealand is not in a good position to brave an Omicron outbreak because vaccination for children only starts today and the booster roll-out is still in early stages, a Covid-19 modeller says.

University of Canterbury professor and Covid-19 modeller Michael Plank told Morning Report in a few days it would be clear how much Omicron may have spread following yesterday's community case.

The Auckland Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) worker had been infectious since January 10, and more than 50 close contacts have been identified.

"We need to get through the contact tracing operation and the testing and within the next couple of days we'll have a clear idea of whether this MIQ worker has indeed spread the virus in the community."

Plank said it was a timely reminder for people to keep up to date with locations of interest and scan in.

"It's a really good idea now to check that list of locations of interest and to make sure that you do scan in everywhere you go, and that you've got Bluetooth turned on.

"This is the best chance we have of stamping this Omicron outbreak out in its early stages before it really takes hold in the community."

While it was "good news we've caught it relatively early with a clear link to the border", Plank said the country still needed better vaccination and booster rates to contain a Covid-19 Omicron outbreak.