There are a record 3297 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today - as the country moves closer to phase 3 of the Government's Omicron response.
One hundred and seventy nine people, also a record, are in hospital including one person in intensive care, the Ministry of Health announced.
Of today's community cases, 1729 are in Auckland. The other cases are across Northland (40), Waikato (297), Bay of Plenty (157), Lakes (54), Hawke's Bay (18), MidCentral (56), Whanganui (5), Taranaki (30), Tairāwhiti (16), Wairarapa (16), Capital and Coast (123), Hutt Valley (28), Nelson Marlborough (85), Canterbury (176), South Canterbury (7), the Southern (455) region and the West Coast (3).
At the border, eight Covid-19 cases have been detected. The seven-day rolling average for border cases is also eight.
There are now 21,648 active Covid-19 community cases with the seven-day rolling average at 2257.
The 179 people in hospital have an average age of 51. They are at North Shore (33), Middlemore (68), Auckland (58), Tauranga (4), Lakes (3), Waikato (8), Hutt Valley (2), Capital and Coast (1) and Canterbury (2) hospitals.
The current vaccination status of those in Auckland and Northland hospitals (Northern Region wards) is as follows:
• Unvaccinated or not eligible: 19 cases/14.7 per cent;
• Partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose: 4 cases/3.1 per cent;
• Fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case: 64 cases/49.6 per cent;
• Unknown: 15 cases/11.6 per cent.
In the last 24 hours, 27,550 tests have been processed. The rolling average for testing in New Zealand for the last seven days is 28,951.
The Ministry of Health has also started to include the positivity rate for New Zealand for the last 24 hours. It is 12.2 per cent.
There are 6.9m rapid antigen tests in the country, the ministry said in its 1pm statement.
The ministry said the number of Covid-19 cases reported for the Southern DHB region had been lower in recent days than the true number. This was because a large number of people who had tested positive had National Health Numbers linked to a home address outside of the Southern DHB region.
Thus, these cases have been included in other regions' case counts.
A large number of people who returned a positive result in the Southern region yesterday, who had an address outside of the region, were included in Southern's case count today after work by health officials to reclassify the cases.
This explained why there is a larger increase in Southern's cases reported today compared with previous days, the ministry said.
"It is important to note that a case undercount anywhere in the country does not significantly impact our assessment of the outbreak, public health decision-making or public health advice.
"Based on overseas experiences, the Ministry of Health has been expecting the true number of community cases to be higher than the cases reported each day and this has been factored into our Omicron planning."
Turning to vaccinations, the ministry said people in the capital and at the top of the South Island had been "leading the charge" in getting their booster shots.
Seventy-five per cent of eligible people from both the Capital & Coast and Nelson-Marlborough DHBs have now had their booster. This represented almost a quarter of a million people across both regions who had been boosted.
"We're asking everyone who has had a booster to remind their friends and whānau to do the same – people are eligible for a booster dose if it has been more than three months since their second dose."
There were 25,367 booster doses administered across the motu yesterday.
A high rate of booster doses across the country would lower the number of people becoming severely ill from Omicron and ensure there was capacity in the health system for anyone who needed care, the ministry said.
For vaccinations in New Zealand, to date there have been 4,017,433 first doses; 3,954,560 second doses; 32,757 third primary doses; 2,223,385 booster doses: 230,960 paediatric first doses and 2,081 paediatric second doses administered.
Yesterday, there were 566 first doses; 1,239 second doses; 178 third primary doses; 25,367 booster doses; 1,368 paediatric first doses and 118 paediatric second doses given in New Zealand.
Across all ethnicities, 96.5 per cent of eligible people aged 12+ have been partially vaccinated; 94.9 per cent have now had their second dose; and 67.7 per cent of those eligible have received their booster. These figures include jabs that were administered outside of the country.
For eligible Māori, aged 12+, 90.7 per cent are now partially vaccinated, 87 per cent have had a second dose, and 57 per cent of those eligible have been boosted. For eligible Pacific peoples, aged 12+, 97.7 per cent have received one dose, 95.5 per cent have had a second dose and 54.5 per cent of those eligible for their booster have had it.
For paediatric vaccines, 48.5 per cent of 5 to 11-year-olds, across all ethnicities, have had one dose.
Of Māori children in this age group, 28.8 per cent have received their first dose of the vaccine. For Pacific Peoples, aged 5-11, 40.2 per cent have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
First, second and booster dose rates by DHB are:
• Northland DHB: partially vaccinated (90.3 per cent); fully vaccinated (87.7 per cent); boosted (66.9 per cent)
• Auckland Metro DHB: partially vaccinated (97.3 per cent); fully vaccinated (96 per cent); boosted (64.5 per cent)
• Waikato DHB: partially vaccinated (95.2 per cent); fully vaccinated (93.4 per cent); boosted (64.3 per cent)
• Bay of Plenty DHB: partially vaccinated (95.2 per cent); fully vaccinated (93.1 per cent); boosted (65.3 per cent)
• Lakes DHB: partially vaccinated (93.6 per cent); fully vaccinated (91.3 per cent); boosted (66 per cent)
• MidCentral DHB: partially vaccinated (96.8 per cent); fully vaccinated (95.1 per cent); boosted (70.3 per cent)
• Tairāwhiti DHB: partially vaccinated (93.2 per cent); fully vaccinated (90.5 per cent); boosted (66.7 per cent)
• Whanganui DHB: partially vaccinated (92.3 per cent); fully vaccinated (90.4 per cent); boosted (71.4 per cent)
• Hawke's Bay DHB: partially vaccinated (97.1 per cent); fully vaccinated (95 per cent); boosted (69 per cent)
• Taranaki DHB: partially vaccinated (94.8 per cent); fully vaccinated (93 per cent); boosted (65 per cent)
• Wairarapa DHB: partially vaccinated (96.7 per cent); fully vaccinated (94.9 per cent); boosted (73.1 per cent)
• Capital & Coast DHB: partially vaccinated (98.7 per cent); fully vaccinated (97.7 per cent); boosted (74.8 per cent)
• Hutt Valley DHB: partially vaccinated (96.9 per cent); fully vaccinated (95.6 per cent); boosted (72 per cent)
• Nelson Marlborough DHB: partially vaccinated (96.8%); fully vaccinated (95.2 per cent); boosted (74.7 per cent)
• West Coast DHB: partially vaccinated (93 per cent); fully vaccinated (91 per cent); boosted (71.5 per cent)
• Canterbury DHB: partially vaccinated (99.7 per cent); fully vaccinated (98.5 per cent); boosted (69.1 per cent)
• South Canterbury DHB: partially vaccinated (95.4 per cent); fully vaccinated (94 per cent); boosted (72.5 per cent)
• Southern DHB: partially vaccinated (97.8 per cent); fully vaccinated (96.5 per cent); boosted (72.5 per cent).
A significant number of concerned people who don't need a Covid-19 test were seeking a test. These were people who don't have any Covid-19 symptoms and are not a contact of a case, the ministry said.
"The Ministry of Health continues to stress the importance of the right people being tested for the right reasons.
"People should only get tested if they have cold or flu symptoms, have been identified as a close contact of a case, or have been asked to get tested by a health official."
The message was repeated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Speaking to media on the West Coast, she said there was "no question that we have a large amount of demand for testing right now".
Ardern said rapid antigen tests would resolve many problems.
The PM yesterday said phase 3 of the Government's response could be near as cases continue to top records and pressure on testing increases.
Yesterday there were 2846 new infections in the community and 15 Covid-19 cases were detected at the border. 143 people were fighting the virus in hospital, with one person in ICU.
Meanwhile, rapid antigen tests (RATs) will be used as the primary test at Auckland community testing centres (CTCs) from today to help meet demand for testing as the Omicron outbreak grows.
The move, which is part of the Ministry of Health's planned testing strategy, follows RATs being rolled out to CTCs in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Southern yesterday to be used in conjunction with PCR tests in those centres.
RATS will be rolled out to CTCs at other centres across the country this week. The site will determine which test (PCR or RAT) is best for you.
In Auckland, if people feel uncomfortable doing a RAT or a staff member identifies it as being appropriate, they may still get a PCR test.
It was anticipated that as the outbreak grows, more people would have COVID-19 and there would be more close contacts who need to be tested.
The increased use of RATs in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of our response will relieve pressure on the PCR testing and reserve it for those who are unwell and more susceptible to the effects of COVID-19.
The new testing regime in Auckland will mean symptomatic people and/or asymptomatic close contacts whose RAT is positive will be considered a case and do not need to be verified through a PCR test. This will further relieve pressure on the system. This change will also be rolled out to other centres.
After testing, people will need to record their result in My Covid Record, as well as advise their employer. If you cannot access My Covid Record, then they should call 0800 222 478.
Association of Professional and Executive Employees (APEX) national secretary Dr Deborah Powell told the AM show they had already reached capacity at the labs and could not process as many tests as they were getting.
She said pooling tests was now a waste of time because so many tests were now positive and this had significantly reduced capacity.
Tests were now being prioritised for essential workers and those turning up sick to hospital.
By 8am this morning more than 50 cars were in line at the Manurewa Testing Centre.
Auckland testing centres continued to be swamped and some are waiting longer than five days to get their results.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters yesterday that New Zealand was expected to move to the next phase of the Omicron plan "fairly shortly" while Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told AM he didn't think the move would be "far away at all".
Phase 3 means changes to the definition of close contacts, more frequent use of rapid antigen tests and the continuation of other measures, like the use of digital technologies, from phase 2.
Hospitalisation rates are climbing alongside daily case rates.
Early last week, one in 10 people visiting the Middlemore Hospital's ED had contracted the virus. This week, it's one in eight.
Some were patients with broken bones and others were women about to give birth. Many had no idea they were infected with the virus.
Before Omicron became rife in the community, many hospitals across the country were already operating at near-capacity.
National Party health spokesman Shane Reti yesterday said: "The combination of full hospitals, not enough nurses, Omicron starting to surge and winter fast approaching is a deadly mix".
In Wellington, the anti-mandate protest has entered day 16 and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says "gas-lit" protesters should continue to demand they be heard by politicians.
Wellington mayor Andy Foster said he met with the protesters with support from the police.
While he respected the government's decision not to engage with protesters, he said only dialogue was going to resolve the protest.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said calling in the army would be an extreme situation, as police remain convinced that de-escalation is the best strategy.
Former Act president's lawyer claims sentence was too harsh, calls for home detention.