Several members of Parliament, including National Party leader Christopher Luxon, have tested positive for Covid-19 as health officials warn declining case numbers may be temporary.
The Ministry of Health yesterday reported 17,522 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. There were 696 people in hospital, including 13 people in intensive care.
The location of yesterday's reported community cases (PCR and RATs) were: Northland (509), Auckland (7,639), Waikato (1,541), Bay of Plenty (1,174), Lakes (475), Hawke's Bay (435), MidCentral (400), Whanganui (95), Taranaki (311), Tairāwhiti (217), Wairarapa (99), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (837), Nelson Marlborough (329), Canterbury (1,308), South Canterbury (82), Southern (506) and the West Coast (14).
The location of six cases was unknown.
Two cases in the Chatham Island announced on Sunday evening were added to Monday's tally.
Meanwhile, a number of National MPs have tested positive for Covid-19 including their leader, Christopher Luxon.
Luxon announced he tested positive for Covid-19 a day after he delivered his State of the Nation speech on Sunday, to a small audience of about 50 people.
Afterwards, he was filmed hugging some of those supporters.
Luxon said he was not showing symptoms and is isolating at home with family.
"I feel fine and intend to participate in Parliament and meetings remotely."
Other National MPs who have also tested positive include Simon Bridges, Joseph Mooney, Penny Simmonds and Stuart Smith.
Labour ministers David Parker, Anahila Kanongataá-Suisuik and Poto Williams have also tested positive.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said hospitalisations were being tracked, but these numbers might lag about five days behind the real peak of cases.
"We're not there yet. We're doing the policy work to be prepared, regardless."
She said some anecdotal feedback suggested absenteeism in Auckland was declining, but she didn't want to jump the gun on whether that meant Omicron had peaked.
The ministry said care needed to be taken when interpreting daily reported Covid-19 cases which were expected to continue to fluctuate.
"This means that the seven-day rolling average of cases gives a more reliable indicator of testing trends. The seven-day rolling average of cases is today 17,921, up from 17,272 yesterday."
As the use of Rapid Antigen Testing increases, fewer cases are being detected via PCR testing with only 897 of Monday's cases detected via PCR testing and 16,625 identified using RATs.
Currently, there are 192,492 active community cases in total, those being cases that were identified in the past 10 days and are not yet classed as recovered.
The 696 hospitalised cases are at Northland (7), North Shore (136), Middlemore (195), Auckland (189), Waikato (53), BOP (23), Rotorua (7), Tairawhiti (2), Hawke's Bay (8), Taranaki (6), MidCentral (13), Wairarapa (3), Hutt Valley (7), Capital and Coast (24), Nelson Marlborough (4), Canterbury (14) and Southern (5) hospitals.
The ministry said the number of cases and hospitalisations was a reminder of the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted.
"Boosters offer a high level of protection against Omicron, so if it has been three months or more since your second dose of the vaccine, please get your booster."
As Omicron continued to spread, the ministry urged people to be prepared for the virus.
"Your household may be affected soon if it hasn't already. If you have tested positive for Covid-19, you will need to isolate while you recover from the virus."
The ministry also stressed the importance of households being prepared with the appropriate amount of supplies before they have a Covid-19 case.
"Being ready for getting Covid-19 is about making sure you and your household have a plan and know what to do. It will mean your whānau and community can help each other if needed."
Meanwhile, it was confirmed yesterday that 28 people who were at the protest at Parliament have now tested positive for Covid-19.
A spokesperson said these people were thought to be protesters although they had not been interviewed as they would have been prior to the recent changes in case investigation.
Yesterday evening Justice Minister Kris Faafoi announced the processing of legislation to ensure that courts can continue operating safely and effectively during this time.
"In the near term, as we respond to the impacts of Omicron, more proceedings are happening remotely. This bill is necessary to support safe physical court proceedings," Faafoi said.
The changes will also mean jury selection can take place outside court buildings to reduce close physical contact between jurors.