Covid-19 Omicron outbreak: PM says changes to orange settings coming, no move to red planned as cases jump

An atmospheric river continues to lash NZ, geopolitical tensions at Pacific Islands Forum and Auckland City Mission takes over 60-room hotel in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald

Covid Response Minister Ayesha Verrall will tomorrow “set out some changes to the orange setting rules around masks and isolation periods”, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

But a move to red under the traffic light system was “not planned,” the PM said, speaking from the Pacific Island Forum in Fiji.

Ardern said the consideration was around what measures would make a difference to the numbers.

“We know what they are. Isolation if you have Covid – that markedly brings down the infection rates of others. Your household isolating with you is equally important. Mask use and vaccination. Those are three things that will have some of the biggest impact on our numbers.”

Numbers were going up and people who had previously had Covid-19 were getting re-infected, so she asked people to wear masks, get boosters, and isolate.

“They are the most important things we can be doing right now, far and away above the extra measure [of] gathering limits which in this environment will not have the same impact.”

She said Verrall would tomorrow set out what more could be done to focus on those three elements, beyond what was already happening.

Covid cases in the community today topped 11,000 for a second straight day.

There were 11,464 new community cases of Covid reported, along with a further 29 Covid-related deaths. These occurred over the past five days.

Of today’s deaths, seven were from the Auckland region, one was from Waikato, two were from Bay of Plenty, one was from Tairawhiti, two were from Taranaki, one was from Hawke’s Bay, one was from MidCentral, two were from the Wellington region, two were from Canterbury, two were from South Canterbury, and eight were from Southern.

One was aged in their 50s, one was in their 60s, seven were in their 70s, 10 were in their 80s and 10 were aged over 90. Of these people, 15 were women and 14 were men.

The seven-day rolling average of community cases is 9710 – this time last week it was 7591.

There are currently 67,926 active cases in the community.

The ministry’s update today shows 469 of the Covid cases are reinfections – 168 are people who had previously been infected between one and three months ago.

There are 729 people in hospital with the virus, including 18 in intensive care.

The average age of hospitalisations is 63.

The patients are being treated in Northland: 14; Waitematā: 145; Counties Manukau: 49; Auckland: 93; Waikato: 56; Bay of Plenty: 49; Lakes: 13; Hawke’s Bay: 25; MidCentral: 25; Whanganui: 13; Taranaki: 16; Tairawhiti: 4; Wairarapa: 10; Capital & Coast: 30; Hutt Valley: 29; Nelson Marlborough: 10; Canterbury: 90; West Coast: 1; South Canterbury: 14; Southern: 43.

The ministry said 355 Covid cases had recently arrived from overseas.

Yesterday the Ministry of Health said there was 11,548 community cases and 19 Covid-related deaths.

Of the deaths reported yesterday one was from the Auckland region, three were from Bay of Plenty, one was from Taranaki, two were from Whanganui, one was from Hawke’s Bay, four were from MidCentral, one was from Lakes, three were from the Wellington region, two were from Canterbury, and one was from Southern.

Covid-19 modellers say community cases could reach 20,000 in the coming weeks and will likely mean many more deaths.

As of yesterday, the seven-day rolling average of community cases was 9279 – up from 7053 this time last week.

Dr Michael Plank told the Herald that New Zealand was “definitely in a second wave”.

“It’s got potential to be quite a serious one. Hospitalisations are rising sharply now and that’s concerning because the health system was already stressed with winter illness and flu.”

Plank said mask use would remain critical for flattening the curve of the outbreak, and even though New Zealanders were relatively good at wearing masks, there was still room for improvement.

“We are probably still better at using masks here than many places who I think have fallen out of the habit.

“That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement because there is and masks will be crucially important for flattening the wave.”