NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Auckland testing demand low as vaccinations spike after outbreak

Adam Pearse
By Adam Pearse
Deputy Political Editor·NZ Herald·
24 Jan, 2022 03:38 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Focus: Covid-19 Outbreak | Monday 24th January Wrap
There are eight new cases of Omicron to report today. Video / NZ Herald ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale pushes for ‘tough’ amalgamation discussions in Bay of Plenty

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      There are eight new cases of Omicron to report today. Video / NZ Herald
      NOW PLAYING • Focus: Covid-19 Outbreak | Monday 24th January Wrap
      There are eight new cases of Omicron to report today. Video / NZ Herald ...

      Auckland's community testing centres were relatively quiet today with residents holding their breath as Omicron threatens to spill across the city.

      The Herald visited multiple testing centres at various points in the day, finding only a handful of people and cars queuing at sites in Auckland's central, western and eastern areas.

      It comes as Auckland and the rest of New Zealand saw its first day in the red traffic light setting, a decision made due to health officials' confidence the Omicron variant was circulating in the Auckland community.

      That confidence was based on movements of nine Omicron cases who visited Auckland on January 15 and 16, to which a link to the border was unknown.

      Some small increases in testing demand had been registered - nurse Sawson Rizkallah, site lead at the Victoria St carpark centre, said staff had tested about 70 people by about midday, which was normally the site's daily total.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      A small line of cars queue at the Balmoral testing centre in central Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
      A small line of cars queue at the Balmoral testing centre in central Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig

      After the Delta outbreak was announced in August last year, testing centres were quickly overrun with some people queuing for up to 10 hours.

      Auckland vaccination programme clinical lead Dr Anthony Jordan said there had been less demand this time around, partly because not many locations of interest had been released.

      He also noted many people preferred to get tested through their general practice.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Nevertheless, he implored people to get tested if they were required to do so after visiting a location of interest or were symptomatic.

      "From a testing strategy point of view, that probably gives us a much more accurate picture if people follow those two principles," he said.

      Auckland vaccination programme clinical lead Dr Anthony Jordan. Photo / Dean Purcell
      Auckland vaccination programme clinical lead Dr Anthony Jordan. Photo / Dean Purcell

      On vaccinations, Jordan was pleased to see an uptick. More than 13,000 vaccines were administered in Auckland yesterday, more than double the 5000 usually seen on Sundays.

      He also commended Kiwis' uptake of their booster dose with 57 per cent of eligible people getting boosted.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      Melbourne epidemiologist says NZ will 'easily' see 100,000 cases

      24 Jan 04:27 AM
      New Zealand

      Auckland restaurant, hall, Rainbow's End named Omicron locations of interest

      24 Jan 05:08 PM
      New Zealand

      GP leader calling for hospital staff to be diverted to general practices

      23 Jan 10:01 PM
      Sport

      Running for a cause: The man who ran the Auckland marathon barefoot

      24 Jan 04:00 AM

      Today, it was announced the indoor Westgate vaccination centre would be replaced by a drive-through centre from tomorrow.

      It will be located at the carpark on the corner of Gunton Drive and Tawhia Drive in Westgate, and will be open from 11am to 3.30pm tomorrow, and 8.30am to 3.30pm every day from Wednesday.

      People queue at a pharmacy offering Covid-19 vaccinations in Balmoral. Photo / Michael Craig
      People queue at a pharmacy offering Covid-19 vaccinations in Balmoral. Photo / Michael Craig

      With capacity to vaccinate 2500 people per day, Jordan said the shift to drive-through recognised how Aucklanders preferred to get their vaccines.

      "I think the drive-through setup allows people to feel more comfortable by staying in their bubble, that's definitely some feedback we've had.

      "It doesn't mean the other sites aren't better for different reasons. A lot of people, 5-to-11-year-olds, feel more comfortable going inside to a GP where they're in a room on their own in a familiar place.

      "So it's really just offering a few more options in terms of giving people a different mode of getting vaccinated that they might be more comfortable with."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      In addition to community sites, more than 380 Auckland GPs and pharmacies offer Covid vaccination - 300 of which were able to administer the paediatric vaccine.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      Tauranga power cuts cause traffic chaos

      11 Jul 01:33 AM
      New Zealand

      Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

      11 Jul 01:10 AM
      Crime

      'Grandiose delusions': Fate decided for man who killed entomologist in random attack

      11 Jul 01:07 AM

      From early mornings to easy living

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward
      Hawkes Bay Today

      Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

      11 Jul 01:10 AM
      'Grandiose delusions': Fate decided for man who killed entomologist in random attack
      Crime

      'Grandiose delusions': Fate decided for man who killed entomologist in random attack

      11 Jul 01:07 AM
      500 without power as severe weather lashes Northland
      Northern Advocate

      500 without power as severe weather lashes Northland

      11 Jul 01:04 AM
      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes
      New Zealand

      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes

      11 Jul 01:04 AM
      'Significant delays': Serious crash closes SH3 south of Te Kuiti
      Waikato Herald

      'Significant delays': Serious crash closes SH3 south of Te Kuiti

      11 Jul 01:01 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      Tauranga power cuts cause traffic chaos

      Tauranga power cuts cause traffic chaos

      11 Jul 01:33 AM

      Traffic lights are out on Hewlett Road, causing chaos for drivers.

      Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

      Fire in Flaxmere garage sends plume of black smoke skyward

      11 Jul 01:10 AM
      'Grandiose delusions': Fate decided for man who killed entomologist in random attack

      'Grandiose delusions': Fate decided for man who killed entomologist in random attack

      11 Jul 01:07 AM
      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes
      live

      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes

      11 Jul 01:04 AM
      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search