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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Almost 1000 new cases today, Rotorua high school student tests positive

Rotorua Daily Post
13 Feb, 2022 11:45 PM5 mins to read

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      Cyclone Dovi leaves trail of destruction, more blue in Wellington and phase two of the Omicron plan nears in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald

      There are 981 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today including 39 in hospital.

      There are 23 new cases in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board region and 12 in the Lakes DHB region, where a Rotorua Girls' High School student has tested positive.

      Toi Te Ora-Public Health has been approached to clarify the specific locations of these cases in each health board region.

      There is one case in Rotorua Hospital.

      A number of high-risk locations of interest, exposed to the virus over the Waitangi Day long weekend, have been added to the growing list this morning.

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      They include popular Auckland attraction SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's, New Windsor School swimming pool, The Bank Space in Grey Lynn and a private function at Worlds End Bar in Tauranga.

      There are several new locations of interest for the region.

      Yesterday, 21,588 boosters doses were administered in New Zealand. The Ministry of Health said the vaccine remained our best defence against Covid-19. People who were vaccinated were less likely to get seriously unwell or be hospitalised than people who hadn't been vaccinated.

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      More than 3500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board region this booster weekend.

      The health board ran "big boost in the Bay" at the weekend to get those eligible for their third dose vaccinated.

      As of Friday, 58 per cent of the board's eligible population had received a booster shot, the DHB said.

      More than 87,000 booster doses have been given throughout the region, with a further 61,869 people eligible.

      High school student tests positive

      A social media statement written by Rotorua Girls' High School principal Sarah Davis said a student that was at school last Tuesday and Wednesday has since tested positive for Covid-19.

      She has been absent from Thursday, Davis said.

      The school will stay open while it works to identify close contacts and the information will be forwarded to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

      The staff and students identified as close contacts will be notified separately of what steps to follow. Those who are not contacted are not considered close contacts.

      Davis assured the school community that it had appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place, and masks were worn inside at all times except for when eating or drinking.

      Protest enters second week

      Meanwhile, as the protest at Parliament enters its second week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she did not approve of the tactics they had seen from the protesters and said they and their children should go home.

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      While she believed the protesters were making anti-vaccine rather than anti-mandate stances, she reiterated the Government would only use restrictions for as long as they needed to and they had already moved away from lockdowns.

      "When we can we will, but when we are on the upside of a curve in the Omicron outbreak - now is not the time," she said.

      Phase 2 shift likely in coming days

      The rise in case numbers means a shift to Phase 2 of the Omicron response is likely to happen in the coming days.

      Daily case numbers of 1000 or more would trigger the shift.

      The second part of the strategy includes greater use of rapid antigen testing and shorter isolation periods.

      Te Pūnaha Matatini complex systems researcher Dion O'Neale said the rise in cases put New Zealand on track to reach 1000 cases a day by the middle of the week.

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      While record days have resulted in numbers like New Zealanders have never seen before, University of Otago epidemiologist professor Michael Baker warns the real numbers could be as much as 10 times the official figures.

      "Most people with the infection, particularly when they're highly vaccinated, will have very few symptoms and many will have no symptoms at all, but they can still transmit the virus.

      "For every case that's recorded, we might have another five people out there who have very mild symptoms that are not being tested."

      PM to businesses: Start planning

      This morning Ardern said businesses should start planning for the close contact exemption scheme coming in the next few days.

      A business could register as a critical workplace. They would be given a document to verify this and the worker then needed to take that documentation, some ID and proof they were a close contact to a local provider such as a pharmacy who would then give them a pack of 10 rapid antigen tests.

      Meanwhile, as the protest at Parliament enters its second week, Ardern said she did not approve of the tactics they had seen from the protesters and said they and their children should go home.

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      While she believed the protesters were making anti-vaccine rather than anti-mandate stances, she reiterated the Government would only use restrictions for as long as they needed to and they had already moved away from lockdowns.

      "When we can we will, but when we are on the upside of a curve in the Omicron outbreak - now is not the time," she said.

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