Close to 4,500 booster shots were administered yesterday (4,494), a jump of more than 1,500 on the day before.

This increase provides a timely reminder that from tomorrow (Wednesday 5 January), the interval between second doses and boosters reduces from six months to four months.

This means anyone aged 18 and over who had their second vaccination at least four months ago can have their booster dose.

COVID-19 testing also increased in the last 24 hours, with around 1,000 more tests administered than the previous day.

Omicron update

We are today reporting 29 cases identified at the border.  While still awaiting whole genome sequencing of these cases, it is expected that some of these cases will be the Omicron variant.

This variant of COVID-19 continues to be having a significant impact globally, so is not unexpected to see an increase of cases identified at the border.

COVID-19 vaccine update

• Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,975,528 first doses (94%); 3,856,703 second doses (92%); 29,226 third primary doses; 333,820 booster doses
• Vaccines administered yesterday: 363 first doses; 1,306 second doses; 25 third primary doses and 4,494 booster doses.
• Māori (percentage of eligible people): 500,643 first doses (88%); 462,192 second doses (81%)
• Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 271,432 first doses (95%); 259,464 second doses (91%)

Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)

• Northland DHB: First doses (89%); second doses (84%)
• Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96%); second doses (94%)
• Waikato DHB: First doses (94%); second doses (90%)
• Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (90%)
• Lakes DHB: First doses (92%); second doses (88%)
• Taranaki DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)
• Tairāwhiti DHB: First doses (91%); second doses (86%)
• Hawke’s Bay DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (91%)
• Canterbury DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (95%)

Hospitalisations

Cases in hospital: 53; North Shore: 9; Auckland: 16; Middlemore: 22; Tauranga: 5 Rotorua: 1

Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (20 cases / 46.5%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (8 cases / 18.6%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (14 cases / 32.6%); 1 unknown (2.3%).

Average age of current hospitalisations: 53

Cases in ICU or HDU: 6 (3 in Middlemore; 3 in Tauranga)

Cases

• Seven day rolling average of community cases: 43.4
• Number of new community cases: 31
• Number of new cases identified at the border: 29
• Location of new community cases: Auckland (14), Waikato (1), Bay of Plenty (12), Lakes (4)
• Number of community cases (total): 10,985 (in current community outbreak)
• Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 8,268
• Number of active cases (total): 1,143 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classified as recovered)
• Confirmed cases (total): 13,992

Contacts

• Number of active contacts being managed (total): 5,426
• Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 83%
• Percentage who have returned at least one result: 78%

Tests

• Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 8,661
• Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 11,148
• Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 3,956

Wastewater

No unexpected detections

NZ COVID Tracer

Poster scans in the 24 hours to midday yesterday: 1,920,212

Manual diary entries in the 24 hours to midday: 39,515

My Vaccine Pass

• My vaccine pass downloads total: 4,633,089
• My vaccine pass downloads (last 24 hours): 7,572