Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the national health system relies on New Zealanders’ continued cooperation as almost 20,000 cases are announced today.

Dr Bloomfield is resuming his appearance at daily 1pm media briefings amid the omicron outbreak, with peak cases and hospitalisations expected in the next few weeks.

He said today nearly 20,000 new cases of covid-19 had been reported, with 373 people in hospital, nine of whom are in ICU.

He said it was hard to estimate how many people in hospital with covid-19 were there because of the virus, as opposed to simply having the virus and being there for a different reason.

However, he said Middlemore Hospital’s estimate of about 70 percent to 80 percent presenting because of covid-19 symptoms gives a good gauge.

There are just under 100,000 active cases across the motu, he said.

“I know that such a high daily case number can be concerning for people to hear, and many of us will now have whānau members who now have covid-19, but it’s important to remember that covid-19 now is a very different foe to what it was at the beginning of the pandemic.”

He said what had helped New Zealand so far had been doing the basics well and people should keep doing this — wearing masks, practising good hand hygiene, and avoiding going out if unwell.

“There’s no doubt the next few weeks are going to be tough, the health system can’t do it alone, so thanks in advance to all New Zealanders for continuing to support our efforts to live with the virus on our terms.”

Watch a replay of the briefing here:

The media conference today. Video: RNZ News

He said the high vaccination rate meant for most people omicron would be a milder illness and could be managed safely at home.

Dr Bloomfield says PCR testing had served New Zealand “incredibly well”, but with thousands of cases each day the country reached the point last week where rapid antigen testing became both useful and appropriate.

He said samples were typically pooled earlier on in the outbreak, but a positive test in a batch means each will need to be retested. Higher test positivity rates now, however, mean it becomes less feasible.

He said prior to February 7, none of the labs had ever exceeded 5 percent test positivity, but the swift increase in positive cases has affected that. Labs have also had other difficulties, including vacancies in roles and sickness because some lab workers had contracted the virus.

Apology over test result backlog
Dr Bloomfield said he wanted to apologise to people whose tests had been delayed, but said they had committed to completing the test processing.

People are still advised to seek a test, though some people facing a longer delay should also seek a rapid antigen test, he said.

The samples affected by the backlog might be slightly less accurate — they were more likely to show a negative result — but all positive results would be accurate.

Dr Bloomfield said some 9000 tests were sent to Queensland for testing, to help clear the backlog. He said the backlog was clearing, but anyone who had had a test on February 23 or earlier, or who had developed symptoms, should collect a rapid antigen test from their local testing centre or seek advice from Healthline.

He said the problem with delays in PCR testing was less to do with delays in rolling out rapid antigen tests, and more to do with the ministry being “a day or two late” to recognise how quickly the virus was spreading.

“Once the samples were in the lab it’s hard to take them out and redistribute them, so we still had capacity across the network but we didn’t have the opportunity to redistribute them and probably if we’d started to do that a day or two earlier, then we may still have had a backlog but perhaps not such a big one.”

Dr Bloomfield said test processing had got to a much more manageable level in the past 24 to 48 hours.

He said there was strong uptake of RATs for people who had symptoms, or who were household or close contacts, as well as surveillance testing at hospitals and aged care facilities.

If people needed to pick up a rapid antigen test, the Healthpoint website had an increasing list of places where they were available.

Dr Bloomfield said there were good numbers of the tests available now — more than five million had been distributed in the last seven days, there were over 12 million in storage, and more than 16 million were expected to arrive this week.

Self-reporting of test results
Bloomfield thanks the more than 40,000 people who have self-reported a rapid antigen test result. He says it is an important measure to give officials a good idea of how far the virus is spreading.

He says people who are unwell will be given enough tests for three tests per eligible person in their household. People who are critical workers can also preorder the tests online from testing centres.

During question time Dr Bloomfield said there was a bit of a lag on whole genome sequencing for those who have been in hospital, and with the short hospital stay times, there is not an accurate picture of how many cases in hospital are omicron versus delta.

The most common symptoms are cough, sore and scratchy throat, a runny nose, and generally feeling unwell, “that sort of flu-ey feeling, the whole body aches”, but people who are not boosted are far more likely to have more severe symptoms.

Dr Bloomfield said the loss of sense of smell and taste does not appear to be as much of a notable symptom for omicron, but some young people had also been experiencing an upset stomach.

The past two days have seen daily cases above the 14,000 mark, and hospitalisations have also continued to increase, reaching 344 yesterday.

It comes as the government yesterday confirmed New Zealanders would be able to return to New Zealand without isolating, with the date for returnees from countries other than Australia brought forward to Friday.

New Zealanders in Australia and critical workers were yesterday able to return without entering managed isolation.

People who are eligible but have not yet got their booster shot are urged to, as it protects against both transmission and severe illness from the omicron variant.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Epidemiologist Professor Rod Jackson is urging New Zealanders to take omicron seriously, and certainly not to think of it as similar to the flu.

The warning comes as new modelling shows omicron could peak by mid next month with about 4000 daily cases.

Professor Jackson, professor of epidemiology at Auckland University, told RNZ Morning Report there was “no doubt” New Zealanders were not taking omicron seriously.

“The standard thing I hear these days is, ‘Oh, this is just a mild condition, it’s like a mild flu’ — and it’s just not true,” he said.

“In the [United] States, for example, more people have died from omicron, than died from delta. It’s also worth noting that I mean if you ever had a bad flu, you feel like you want to die.

“It’s not a particularly good comparison. The flu kills 500 people a year. Normally that’s almost double the road crash death rate. It’s about the same as suicide, just a bit less.

“This is a serious disease that people need to take seriously.”

High omicron death rate
The high omicron death rate in the US was because the variant was so contagious, Dr Jackson said.

“It spreads like wildfire, and I guess that’s the other important issue when we’re thinking about the comparison between the flu and and Omicron is that the R value, the number of people that one infected person with the flu is going to infect, is less than two.

“With omicron, we don’t even know how big it is. It’s certainly much bigger than delta, which was about six (people infected per person), so this is a very different disease from the flu and we need to take it seriously.

“We need to go out and get maximally vaccinated.”

On that point, Dr Jackson said there were a likely a lot of reasons more people had not got a booster shot.

“One is, we’re all a little over it, aren’t we? Everyone is tired. Everyone wants to go back to normal.

“Secondly there is this general view is that I hear — ‘Oh, but isn’t omicron, you know, just like a cold?’

‘People die of this’
“For some people, it’s very mild. For some people it’s asymptomatic, but people die of this.

“Look at the hospital rates. Every New Zealander should have a look at the graph of the number of hospitalisations, and if you look at it in the last week or two, it’s going almost vertically.

“There’s a couple of things we really need to do – get maximally vaccinated and wear a good mask.”

Today the Ministry of Health confirmed 3297 new cases of covid-19 in the community in New Zealand, with 179 people in hospital with the coronavirus, including one in intensive care.

There were also eight new cases in managed isolation today.

Yesterday the Ministry of Health reported 2846 covid-19 cases in the community and 143 people in hospital with the virus.

There have now been 38,951  cases of covid-19 in New Zealand.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said that police staff working at the anti-mandate protest outside Parliament had contracted covid-19.

He said while they could not link transmission to the protest, with people coming far and wide for the demonstration, he would be surprised if there was no covid among protesters.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealand could be facing 50,000 daily omicron infections by Waitangi weekend, according to modelling by US-based health research organisation, peaking at about 80,000 each day just a few weeks later.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) projections, updated last Thursday, predicts an outbreak in New Zealand lasting about three months, with death rates projected to total more than 400 by May 1.

Daily fatalities are predicted to spike at about 10 through mid-March.

There are also warnings this country’s ICU capacity will come under “extreme stress” through February and March.

These are of course predictions and should be viewed as such, however they have been given credence by New Zealand’s leading experts, including University of Otago professors Nick Wilson and Michael Baker: “Our impression is that this work is of high quality and should be considered by NZ policy-makers … [it’s] an organisation with a very strong track record for analysing health data (with some of the best epidemiologists, health data scientists and computer scientists in the world).”

The modelling by the IHME at the University of Washington shows the “most likely” scenarios are based on vaccinations carrying on at the expected pace, mask use staying about the same, and 80 percent of those already vaccinated getting a booster within six months — the numbers do drop if 100 percent get their booster and then again with 80 percent of people using masks whenever they’re out in public.

Under the ‘most likely’ scenario, daily infections start to rapidly take off almost immediately: by February 1 at just over 13,000, by the 9th hitting about 62,000, and peaking in mid-February at over 81,000.

Numbers drop slightly
The numbers drop slightly if everyone gets their booster shot, but there is a significant difference when 80 percent of people are wearing masks.

These are the two public health controls taken into account, so the modelling does not include other measures in place, for example, under New Zealand’s red setting; the different responses around the world vary considerably and compliance would be difficult to accurately gauge.

After peaking in mid-February, infections are projected to fall back to around 50,000 by the first week of March, then tailing off through the rest of that month and April.

The government has been preparing for up to 50,000 cases a day and this week unveiled the “three phase” response, under which testing, contact tracing and isolation requirements will change once cases start to rapidly increase.

There was much political debate late last year about ICU capacity and these latest figures should sound the alarm.

In the face of criticism the government had failed to increase the number of fully resourced ICU beds, Health Minister Andrew Little said there were 289 ICU or High Dependency Unit beds available, insisting that could be increased to up to 550 under surge capacity if needed.

Strongly challenged
That was strongly challenged by clinicians and ICU experts who said the extra capacity was more like 67 — totalling 356 — mainly due to an acute shortage of highly skilled ICU nurses

At the peak of the outbreak, in early March, the modelling estimates 458 ICU beds could be needed, and occupancy could come under “extreme stress” for a number of weeks.

Experts from the University of Otago summarised and analysed the findings, saying the government should take heed and consider police settings accordingly.

They noted socio-economic status and ethnicity were not taken into account, so the modelling would not highlight potentially disproportionate impacts on Māori, New Zealand specific data is incomplete, if delta cases start emerging again and we end up with a “dual variant” outbreak the numbers could be worse, and ICU capacity — outlined in classified Across Government Situation Report leaked to Māori Television — may be underestimated so the predicted pressure on the healthcare system may be even greater.

The authors also draw attention to the “high uncertainty” in the data, for example “the number of cases in hospital might peak at 2790 in early March 2022 … but the 95 percent confidence interval around this 2790 figure is large at: 120 to 9,070”.

“As well as considering the strengths and weaknesses of this IHME modelling, policy-makers will need to consider the potential social and economic disruption from an Omicron outbreak,” they conclude.

Stronger border approach
They also call for a stronger approach at the border, as a key area of vulnerability.

“The NZ government is obviously taking this threat seriously with a recent suspension of future places in MIQ. However, this change will not have an impact on arriving cases until March 2022.

“Therefore, substantially reducing the risk now will probably require a rapid and marked reduction of incoming international flights from some countries (ie, until their outbreaks subside in coming weeks).”

Professor Baker also says the phased opening of the border, due at the end of February, should be pushed out, and the time between the second vaccine dose and booster reduced from four to three months.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The Solomon islands government endorsed a 60 hour lockdown in the capital Honiara last night after an urgent special national address by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare confirming covid-19 community transmission.

Honiara Emergency Zone will be in lockdown from 6pm last evening to 6am, Saturday, 22 January 2022.

The lockdown comes with restriction of movements of people as ordered by the Prime Minister under Emergency Powers (COVID-19) (Honiara Emergency Zone) (Restriction of Movement of Persons) Order 2022.

The order reads: “A person must not enter or leave the emergency zone on and from 6.00 pm on Wednesday 19 January 2022 until 6.00 am on Saturday 22 January 2022.”

The order also spelt out that a person must be at his or her residence during the lockdown period.

And it further stated that a person must not be away from his or her residence during the lockdown period.

Essential workers exempt
Those who are exempt to travel during the lockdown are essential services workers who are covered under the Essential Services Act (Cap. 12).

The lockdown in the Honiara Emergency Zone is important for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to continue to carry out contact tracing of people who travelled on MV Awka from Ontong Java on January 10 after a passenger on that trip was tested positive for covid-19.

Prime Minister Sogavare said: “The full extent of the covid-19 infection in Honiara is yet to be established, since this diagnosis.

“Given that the positive case lives in a household with other people, and some other passengers that travelled on the vessel have been reported to be unwell, I am sad to inform you that we already have community transmission of covid-19 in Honiara.”

Members of the public are requested to practise basic health activities such as washing hands for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizers, keep social distancing of at least 2 meters apart from another person, always wear face masks and avoid congregating together.

Other measures that have been put in place include:

• Temporary suspension of all domestic flights to provinces until further notice;
• Suspension of all incoming passenger service from international flights — humanitarian cargo flights to continue; and
• Suspension of all incoming passenger services from international flights until further notice.

Humanitarian cargo services will continue. Other cargo services will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Overseas cargo vessels, fuel and gas tankers will continue to operate as Solomon Islands depend on these vessels for its survival.

They do not pose high covid-19 risks so they will continue to operate during the lockdown period if necessary.

The Honiara Emergency Zone boundary is from Alligator Creek in the East to Poha in the west end of Honiara.

Earlier warning
RNZ Pacific reports that Prime Minister Sogavare had earlier warned the country could expect a rapid spread of covid-19 and deaths.

This came after 10 people had illegally entered Solomon Islands at Pelau in Ontong Java – six of them were confirmed positive with covid-19.

One of those infected is a doctor and Sogavare said he was greatly saddened by this distressing news.

A foreign national on a flight from Brisbane has also tested positive.

It took the Solomons tally of positive cases to 32.

Sogavare spoke on Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), saying the number of positive cases was expected to grow rapidly in the coming weeks, and loss of life was expected.

The SIBC reports the prime minister saying the government had sent 31 personnel, including five additional police, to Pelau to bring the outbreak under control.

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will move to the red traffic light setting if omicron is spreading in the community following reports that a border worker who was yesterday reported as covid-19 positive has been confirmed to have the omicron variant.

On Tonga, Defence Minister Peeni Henare says he understands power has been restored in large parts of Nuku’alofa following Saturday’s eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano.

The government leaders were speaking at today’s media briefing.

More than 120,000 doses of the children’s Pfizer vaccine for covid-19 are ready to go at clinics around the country.

Tamariki aged five to 11 are eligible for the first of two recommended doses, eight weeks apart.

Ardern said it was pleasing to see people had been lining up today to be the first through the door at vaccination centres, and lines have been clearing quickly.

Henare, who is also Whānau Ora and Associate Health Minister, said the government had been working closely with iwi leaders to ensure tamariki could receive the vaccine, and was looking towards the schools for when they reopened.

Another milestone day
Today was another milestone day in the vaccination campaign in New Zealand, Ardern said.

New Zealanders have been able to get boosters since early January and online bookings open from today.

“For children of course they are able to be booked in now via Book My Vaccine … we’ve heard that whānau are coming in to get both their booster and to bring their children in to be vaccinated as well.”

Today Ardern received her booster dose of the covid-19 vaccination.

She says it was possible 80 percent of the country’s population could be boosted by the end of February.

She thanked all those putting in mahi so far, to get the booster roll-out well underway.

Over half of eligible New Zealanders have had their booster, she says.

66,000 make bookings
“The traffic on the website today has been good, she says, with over 66,000 people having made a booking by midday compared to about 12,000 on other recent days.

Aotearoa’s first community case of the omicron variant of covid-19 was announced yesterday. The person is a border worker in Auckland and has 50 close contacts.

The worker, who was infectious from January 10, took two bus services in Auckland and visited a supermarket and four other stores in the city.

Ardern said when it comes to omicron in the community it is a matter of when, not if.

“New Zealanders have had the break that we hoped they would get but we know that with omicron it is a case of when, not if, and that is why the booster campaign is just so critical.”

The government would look to move into the red traffic light setting if Omicron was spreading in the community, Ardern says.

“What I expect is over the coming weeks to be able to share with you some of the additional preparation that has been done over and above the work that we did on delta, for the specific issue of omicron and what it represents.

“We have the ability to learn from other nations and see the impact or the way that omicron is behaving and prepare ourselves.”

Changes in testing, isiolation
“This will mean changes including to the way testing, isolation and contact tracing is done, and the details will be shared in the coming weeks.

“We’ve managed to get delta down to extraordinarily low levels, that means the risk posed by opening that border, now is very low. We are in the right place now to remove those requirements.”

Ardern said the traffic light system was designed to deal with surges, outbreaks and had the possibility of new variants in mind. She said the measures under the red setting were designed to slow the spread of a variant like omicron.

Another update on traffic light settings would be given on Thursday, she said.

Vaccination passes do not currently have the booster set within them. Ardern said the option to include that in future is being retained, but getting a booster remained the best way to protect against omicron.

“We’re doing what we can but I think it would be wrong to assume those border measures will be sufficient. At some point we will see omicron in the community … we should always assume at any time.”

Eruption crisis in Tonga
Defence Minister Peeni Henare said he understood power had been restored in large parts of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.

Ardern said the RNZAF Orion had been undertaking an assessment from the air of the outer islands in particular to provide that information to the Tongan authorities.

The C-130 would perform naval drops, with planning being done to enable that regardless of the status of the airport.

“I understand that on the ground of course that Tonga has also now by sea dispatched to the outer islands.”

She says the C-130 was expected to fly today regardless, and would be able to meet immediate supply needs.

Henare said it is being ensured that the C-130 had the necessities on board. He said the aerial assessment being done would help with that.

The response must be directed to where it was needed the most, he said.

Navy able to deploy quickly
Ardern said the navy was able to deploy very quickly.

She said communication had been difficult but the flight today along with communication with officials on the ground would help establish the needs of those in Tonga, but they knew water was needed.

She cautioned that while there had been reports that some islands had seen no casualties, it was still early days.

It is thought the connectivity problems with the underwater cable stemmed from power outages, she said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealanders living overseas say covid-19 is now part of everyday life as cases of the highly-infectious omicron variant steadily grow around the globe.

More than 307 million covid-19 cases have been confirmed since the pandemic began, with countries now breaking records for daily case numbers as leaders struggle to keep the new variant at bay.

Cantabrian Savannah Winter has been working as an au pair in Paris for about six months.

France is currently reporting around 300,000 cases each day, and while she is double vaccinated and has had her booster shot, she still caught covid-19 three months ago.

“Everyone I know, knows someone that has it and the kids I look after are constantly not at school because people in their class are getting it, so I’m thinking, ‘Oh am I going to get it again?’, we are just waiting and seeing if our kids test positive,” Winter said.

As omicron spread, the situation became overwhelming and there was a shortage of rapid-antigen testing, she said.

“All of the pharmacies are just inundated with people needing to get tested. I went to the gym this morning and I walked past a few pharmacies and there is just a line at 8am in the morning going around the street of people just lining up to get a test.”

About 10 percent effective
A study from the UK Health Security Agency found the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were only about 10 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection from omicron, 20 weeks after the second dose.

But two doses of those vaccines still provide good protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death.

The study also found that boosters are up to 75 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection.

In the US, the booster programme is well underway, but cases are still skyrocketing.

Ben Fitchett, 22, moved to Los Angeles in December.

“On my second night here, I caught it from a friend and over the period of that weekend until the week leading up to Christmas cases just exploded,” said Fitchett.

“Everyone seems to know someone that has it. Everyone is basically dropping like flies.”

WHO says not categorised as ‘mild’
Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that while studies suggested omicron was less likely to make people seriously ill compared to previous variants, it should not be categorised as mild.

Fitchett said despite the high case numbers, people in Los Angeles were going about life as normal.

“It is a deadly virus. Some people will get it and it does react differently within people, but people don’t seem to be too worried about it here. Obviously, if you are immunocompromised, you are, but people are just living life as normal and then if you get it, you get it, and you just have to stay away from everyone else.”

In Australia, case numbers have also been rising exponentially, with the state of Victoria recording more than 40,000 cases yesterday.

Heather Jameson and her family are in a self-imposed lockdown in Melbourne to ensure they do not catch the virus before their family holiday.

“I personally hate the idea that I would be spreading something to immunocompromised people without my knowledge … so our own self imposed lockdown, while we are well, is purely to make sure that we don’t get it, and then risk passing it on should we have symptoms when we go away.”

Her children would almost certainly catch covid-19 once they returned to school next month, she said.

Case numbers blowing up
“Case numbers are just blowing up every day, to be honest it gives me a pretty high sense of anxiety when I’m looking at the actual numbers.

“We just have the sense that it is literally everywhere. A lot of work mates have had it, our direct neighbours have got it right now. It’s pretty panic inducing. We feel like we’re still in lockdown.”

New Zealanders should look after each other to ensure covid-19’s spread in Aotearoa remained contained, Jameson said.

To date, there have been 196 omicron cases detected at the border since December 1.

The Ministry of Health says there are also 217 border cases that have been caught still undergoing genome sequencing. Most are expected to be omicron.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan in Tumon, Guam

Guam has reported its 273rd covid-19 death and 422 new positive cases on Tuesday, breaking its daily record for new infections and shooting up the island’s Covid Area Risk score to 189.3.

Despite the phenomenal increase in new infections, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said she was not currently inclined to change the status quo.

“Our Public Health interventions and protective measures remain effective and as such, I am not announcing any new restrictions at this time,” the governor said.

“Our focus remains on preventing severe illness, preventing increased hospitalisation and saving lives,” she added.

A 90-year-old man died, who died at the US Naval Hospital on January 5, was Guam’s 273rd covid-related death. He was partially vaccinated and had underlying health conditions. He tested positive on December 27.

There are currently 14 covid-19 admissions within the island’s hospitals. One is receiving ICU level of care and “the remainder are not as severe,” the governor said.

The 422 coronavirus infections were detected in 2304 specimens analysed on January 10. This is the largest single-day result ever recorded on Guam. Of the total number of new positive cases, 126 were identified through contact tracing.

Speculated over omicron variant
Although data is not currently available, public health officials speculated that the omicron variant, described as highly transmissible, is already spreading on the island along with the delta variant.

To date, there have been a total of 21,540 officially reported cases, 273 deaths, 2062 cases in active isolation, and 19,205 not in active isolation.

The unprecedented surge of infections has prompted the Department of Public Health and Social Services to accelerate the testing in Tiyan, which has transitioned to an appointment-based system.

“Scheduling of appointments for Covid-19 testing will allow for more efficient processing and reduce long lines and wait times,” the department said.

Testing has been expanded to six days a week and six hours a day.

“We know that community testing helps us quickly identify new covid cases, so we can isolate the virus. Please get tested,” the governor said.

Booster clinics at 6 schools
“To expand access and availability, we have added vaccination and booster clinics at six schools, in addition to clinics widely available at the University of Guam, Public Health community centers, and private providers.”

She reiterated her advice for residents to “wash your hands, wear your mask and watch your distance”.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said last week that despite the astronomic rise in omicron-related covid cases nationwide, there was a possibility that the number would fall just as fast.

Mar-Vic Cagurangan is editor-in-chief of the Pacific Island Times. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

An estimated 1000 people in New Caledonia joined a protest march against the French government’s policies to fight the pandemic.

The unauthorised march in Noumea was held just a day after the government imposed a limit of 30 people for any outside gathering.

Police said that while the meeting was illegal, they did not intervene because many children were in the crowd.

However, according to the public broadcaster, police used teargas after the end of the rally to disperse some demonstrators.

The march was called to oppose a health pass required to enter venues, such as restaurants and museums, and to protest against the law making vaccinations mandatory.

The law, which is yet to be applied, was adopted last September just days before the territory’s delta outbreak, which rapidly infected thousands and killed more than 280 people.

Last Thursday, the first cases of the omicron variant were detected, renewing calls by the authorities to be prudent as the virus is expected to raise infection rates.

From yesterday, vaccinations have opened for children aged five and older.

Children aged 11 and older must wear masks in indoor settings.

About 65 percent of New Caledonia’s population has had at least two jabs, making it the most vaccinated French Pacific territory.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Rising covid-19 cases at the border are increasing the risk of the omicron variant spreading in Aotearoa but a leading epidemiologist says the country still has time to prepare for an outbreak.

Today there were 43 covid-19 cases identified at the border, a jump from 23 cases yesterday, and the Ministry of Health believes the majority are omicron.

But New Zealand still has time to keep omicron out and prepare the population before the virus enters the community, says University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely, originally from New Zealand.

Looking at New South Wales probably hitting its peak with omicron cases, he told RNZ Morning Report there were lessons for New Zealand to better manage an outbreak.

He said there was a huge “five-fold” undercount of cases because those infected with omicron were more likely to be asymptomatic. There could be up to 180,000 infections a day, he said.

His explanation for nearing the peak was: “It makes sense because of that number of infections per day … the virus exhausts the number of people it can infect because you’re chewing up all the susceptibles.”

He said there was a massive shortage of rapid antigen tests in Australia which was “just appalling”, thereby disrupting employment and the supply chain.

‘Flipping lessons to NZ’
“So flipping this to lessons for New Zealand: Get heaps of rapid antigen tests in before you get omicron and change your surveillance systems, or at least have them ready to go to pivot to being less reliant on PCR when the numbers of omicron go up.

“And follow some of the UK example of getting some free rapid antigen tests out towards citizens who have got some ready for when omicron arrives.”

He said New Zealand could take a few more steps to keeping covid-19 out because it had “the advantage of learning from pretty much every other country”.

“Try and keep the borders really strong which New Zealand has excelled at and wait for better vaccines that have wider coverage and not let omicron in. I think the chances of pulling that off are remote because omicron will get in at some point.

“The second option is, somewhat controversially, to embrace omicron.”

Blakely said omicron was “way less severe” thereby reducing the number of people that died or had to go to hospital.

“Omicron is less dangerous than delta … we’re talking somewhere between 1-5 percent of the mortality risk of a delta infection.”

Good immunity against delta
He said studies showed people who had had omicron then had good immunity against delta.

“So if New Zealand embraces omicron in, the trick is to manage it well.

“But there are other things to do in the next six weeks for New Zealand, which is boost like crazy, try and get at least two-thirds of the over 60 population boosted … before omicron comes in and get the public ready.

“Have a plan in place, mandatory masks when the case numbers get to a certain point.”

University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank said new cases in MIQ was a steep rise from last year, when most days, there were just two or three new cases arriving.

“What that really shows, there is a high risk at the moment of the virus leaking out.”

He said it mirrored international data showing infection rates were higher than ever, in some countries.

No assumptions over MIQ
Professor Plank said New Zealanders could not assume managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) would keep the variant out.

New testing rules will come into effect for arrivals into the country, with travellers required to return a negative test result within 48 hours of departure, rather than 72 hours.

Professor Plank said it was a helpful step, but he would like to see rapid antigen tests also used, for a final check on the day of departure.

“These tests return a result in about 20 minutes so these can actually be done on the day. They won’t catch every last case but even if they only caught say 50 percent of cases prior to getting on the flight, that would be a help.”

Professor Plank said Aotearoa needed to buy as much time against omicron as possible, to roll out boosters and child vaccinations.

“If you’re eligible for that booster dose, don’t delay, don’t wait for a few weeks, because it could be too late by then.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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Fiji is bracing for a third wave of the covid-19 virus after tests have confirmed the presence of the omicron variant in local communities.

The country’s Health Secretary Dr James Fong said today the ministry was prioritising testing of suspected individuals to prevent severe illness and death and to focus on suppression where the risk of transmission was high.

“Omicron is vastly more infectious than delta. As such, in keeping with what we see in other countries, the omicron will become the dominant variant,” said Dr Fong.

“As omicron spreads very fast, you should assume you are infected, and self-isolate, if you develop any cold/flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, body ache, or fever.

“Gatherings have been observed where covid-safe measures have not been followed, or people have attended while having symptoms. We ask that if you have relaxed in your observance of covid safe measures, that you please resume now.

According to Dr Fong, 580 new cases of both the delta and omicron variant were recorded between Monday and eight o’clock today.

Of the 580 cases recorded since the last update, 146 cases were recorded in the Northern Division, 111 cases were recorded in the Western Division, 303 cases were recorded in the Central Division, and 20 cases in the Eastern Division.

2417 active cases in Fiji
There are currently 2417 active cases of covid-19 in the country.

The Health Ministry has recorded two additional deaths in its latest report, bringing the total death toll to 712 during the pandemic.

However, Dr Fong said the omicron variant was likely to cause milder disease as data from the United Kingdom and South Africa had shown the risk of hospitalisation was reduced by 80 percent and, once in hospital, the risk of severe diseases was reduced by 70 percent when compared to the delta variant.

“As with previous variants, unvaccinated people are at higher risk of severe disease. With more than 92 percent of adults fully vaccinated, we expect that our high vaccination rates, plus the infection-induced immunity from the large number of people who were infected during the last wave, will help to lower the number of people that develop severe disease.

“We continue to see that the majority of individuals testing positive in medical facilities are presenting for non-covid medical problems and found to be positive while undergoing routine screening as all admissions to the hospital are currently tested for covid-19.

“Also, the vast majority of cases turning positive have minimal symptoms and remain stable.

He added that severe outcomes would be expected in some individuals, including those who have been immunised with two doses of the vaccine, especially people with severe underlying medical conditions and people over the age of 50.

‘Monitored … in a timely manner’
“We have in place measures that ensure that those vulnerable to severe disease are adequately monitored, tested, retrieved, and effectively managed in a timely manner before their conditions worsen.

“However, we need the cooperation and support of community networks in formal and informal community settings and business settings, working in tandem with the ministry.

The ministry has advised the public to self-isolate at home if they have any of the covid-19 symptoms.

A health care worker must isolate for seven days while everyone else is required to isolate for 10 days.

Meanwhile, Fijians who are eligible to get their booster shot have been advised to do so as the country fights the new variant.

Josefa Babitu is a University of the South Pacific student journalist and contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Island New Zealanders are now 90 percent fully vaccinated against covid-19, and a public health expert is urging them to keep up that momentum in the New Year.

In a daily briefing, the Ministry of Health said 90 percent of eligible Pacific people in New Zealand had now had both vaccines.

Associate Professor Collin Tukuitonga from the University of Auckland said that is a tremendous effort and the threat of omicron is the next challenge.

He hopes the community embraces booster shots to guard against the more infectious variant.

“It looks as if the two doses doesn’t give you enough protection for omicron, and the most important priority now is to get people to get their boosters as soon as that’s possible.”

He hopes as many regions move into lower levels of restrictions in the government’s Framework Protection system people will still stay vigilant, contact trace and get tested.

“There’s a risk that people might have gone back into a lower level of alertness, so I would hope that we maintain that [alertness].

Ramp up once again
“In mid-late January I think we’re going to have to ramp up once again in respect of rolling out the vaccine for the young ones.”

Children aged between 5 and 11 become eligible for covid-19 vaccinations in mid-January, and those 12 and older are already eligible.

Dr Tukuitonga said rolling out vaccinations for children could also be a challenge, and parents may need encouragement.

“Parents are perhaps less certain about the benefits and more concerned about risks. So every effort is going to be needed to get the vaccination rollout in children up to the kind of levels that is needed.”

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New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that a border-related case with the omicron variant was briefly active in the community in the Auckland CBD earlier this week.

The case arrived on a flight from the United Kingdom via Doha on December 16 and is fully vaccinated with a mRNA vaccine.

They completed a full 10 days in isolation – seven days in a managed isolation facility and three days in self-isolation.

“They had previously returned three negative tests for covid-19 while completing 7 days of managed isolation at a facility in Auckland,” the ministry said last night.

Musician DJ Dimension was one of two artists who dropped out of the sold-out Rhythm and Alps festival at Wanaka for New Year starting today. He subsequently confirmed on social media that he was New Zealand’s first omicron case in the community.

Earlier this month, the government announced a change to the MIQ system to prevent the spread of the omicron variant — extending the shortened seven-day period to 10 days for arrivals from 11.59pm on December 23.

However, the person went out into the community before getting the results of their day nine test after the self-isolation period was complete, the ministry said.

The day nine test result came out on December 27, by which time the case had already been out in Auckland’s CBD on December 26 and 27.

Risk of transmission
As a result, there is risk of transmission to unknown members of the public, the ministry said.

“They were immediately transferred to an Auckland MIQ facility on the same day [December 27].”

Subsquent whole genome sequencing has revealed they have the Omicron variant.

“No other covid-19 infections have been identified from the individual’s flight. Investigations are underway as to the source of the infection.”

A number of close contacts have been identified and those tested have returned negative test results.

Locations of interest include the Impala nightclub on Shortland Street, the Sunny town restaurant, Partridge jewellers, Ahi Restaurant and Soul Bar.

Some attendees have been identified as close contacts and will be contacted by public health.

Taking situation seriously
The Ministry of Health said it was taking the situation seriously and taking a precautionary approach.

“However, we do not believe that the individual was highly infectious at the time of the above exposure events.”

It is encouraging all Aucklanders to check the Locations of Interest website regularly and follow the advice provided.

“We have been doing everything we can to prepare for Omicron and to keep it out of the community since the variant was first identified. This has included undertaking whole genome sequencing on every PCR sample taken from Covid-19 cases detected in international arrivals.”

Any further information on the case and next steps will be made available today.

There were 46 new community cases reported in New Zealand yesterday.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealand’s Māori vaccination rate continues to tick up, with several district health boards (DHBs) now past 90 percent for first doses.

But experts are warning rates are still far too low — with only 78 percent fully vaccinated — and with Omicron at the door, the danger the pandemic poses for Māori is still very real.

Christchurch GP Maira Patu has been at the forefront of the Māori vaccine rollout in Canterbury for much of the year, a rollout that this week hit 92 percent first doses for Māori.

“Man we’re exhausted,” she said. “It’s been hard work but it is great to see that our service and hard work has paid off. It’s amazing isn’t it.”

It was an amazing turnaround, she said, after a somewhat sluggish start.

“It’s been a struggle with getting funding and up and running. I have to admit that the CDHB has been very supportive and allowed us to operate with a kaupapa Māori service.

“But it has been a struggle, particularly around the age range. It should have been younger for Māori from the start. We should have had an opportunity to have more mobile clinics.”

‘By Māori, For Māori’ approach
In recent months, though, after a “By Māori, For Māori” approach kicked off and clinics went mobile, things changed rapidly, she said.

Six other DHBS have reached the 90 percent first dose milestone for Māori, including Auckland, the two Wellington DHBs, Wairarapa and Southern.

Another is MidCentral, based in Palmerston North but covering Tararua, Manawatū and Ōtaki, which passed the 90 percent threshold this week.

The DHB’s iwi and Māori engagement lead, Adele Small, said working at an equal level with Māori — as well as making sometimes cumbersome health services more agile — has been critical.

“Absolutely crucial, they know their communities and they’re so much closer to their communities and in touch with what their needs and requirements are.

“We just wouldn’t be able to get the buy in without working with them, and they’ve been in pivotal with telling us where we need to be; what times of the day, what businesses to approach.”

But while it’s a milestone to celebrate, no one is under any illusions.

Māori behind for full vaccination
This is just 90 percent for first doses — in MidCentral’s area, and nationally, Māori are still well behind for full vaccination.

This week, the Waitangi Tribunal blasted the government for the vaccine rollout, saying its very structure left Māori vulnerable.

The director of operations for Auckland’s Waipareira Trust, Irirangi Mako, said getting vaccinated was still too difficult for many.

“Those barriers to access just can’t be underestimated. It’s all very well to say. ‘you’ve got a vax centre here at this place’.

“But if you’ve got tamariki at home and you have no transport, even if the bus stop is right outside your house, that doesn’t mean access to being vaccinated, or an opportunity to speak to someone about that is easy.”

Covid data analyst Rawiri Taonui said it was important to bear in mind a statistical undercount of Māori.

He also said the covid outbreak is still very much a Māori outbreak. Most new cases each day are Māori, he said, and Māori hospitalisations are still increasing.

Risk over community transfer
“While overall numbers have been declining in recent weeks — including for Māori — he does not expect it to last.

“The likely scenario is as more people move from Auckland go to holiday spots, we’ll see a number of pockets and outbreaks. The risk is that will transfer over into some undervaccinated Māori communities.”

With Omicron at the door, the remaining work is even more urgent, particularly when it comes to the large tamariki Māori population.

In Palmerston North, Adele Small said they have to keep going.

“We’re just gonna keep going. We know we have a lot of work to keep doing and we know the vaccine is one of our best defences,” she said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Health Ministry is concerned that people are not taking the new omicron variant of the coronavirus seriously.

Fiji reported two cases of the variant more than two weeks ago — both patients had arrived in the country from Nigeria on November 25.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said more than 70 countries had reported cases of omicron and it was probably in most countries, even if it had not yet been detected.

He said if there was an outbreak in Fiji, it could again overwhelm the health system.

Dr Fong said vaccines alone would not get any country out of the crisis, and that nations must prevent the spread of omicron with mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.

“I anticipate that if we are looking at a third wave right now, based on what’s happening at the moment, we are looking at early next year — probably around the January to February period,” he said.

“We’re concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.

Risk of overwhelming health systems
“Even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.

“Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Countries can — and must — prevent the spread of omicron with measures that work today.

“It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well.”

Dr Fong also said the evidence suggested a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe covid-19 disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection.

“If a variant is transmissible enough, stringent border and community measures will only delay the inevitable entry and spread of current and future variants of the covid-19 virus, especially as the omicron variant is also spreading into some of our travel partner countries,” Dr Fong said.

“To protect ourselves, our loved ones and our country, we must all get vaccinated when it is our turn.

“And even with our high vaccination levels, we must maintain covid-safe habits: mask wisely by carrying a well-fitted mask when you leave your home and wear the mask properly in public indoor spaces, public service vehicles and outdoor crowded spaces.

Sharp reminder for caution
“Open windows to improve ventilation; avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces; 2-metre physical distancing and ensure you are wearing a mask if you cannot maintain distance; cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

“The discovery of omicron is a sharp reminder to ourselves that the key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for us all to remain cautious about how we engage in the greater freedom we will enjoy.

“Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate livelihoods, we must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our covid-safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.”

Dr Fong said following the delta outbreak in Fiji, it was understandable that many would feel the urge to relax and celebrate now that case numbers were low, especially during the festive season.

“And many of us have let our guards slip. We are all human.

“But this must stop as vaccination and the Covid Safe measures are the only way to safely navigate our way through the pandemic while facilitating socio-economic recovery and well-being.”

19 new cases in community
Dr Fong confirmed 19 new cases of covid-19 in the community.

This brings the total number of active cases to 116, including two cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, he said. Seven of the latest cases were recorded last Thursday while 12 on Friday.

Dr Fong said there were seven covid patients in hospital in critical condition.

He said with Fiji’s international  open to tourists, the public is being urged to take Omicron seriously.

“The threat of cases coming in through our borders will always be there for as long as the word pandemic is applied throughout the world. And the only that we can protect ourselves is ensuring good adherence to our covid health measures.”

There are no deaths to report and the toll remained at 697, Dr Fong said.

“We have recorded 612 covid-19 positive patients who died from serious medical conditions they had before they contracted covid; these are not classified as covid-19 deaths,” he said.

“For this second wave, there have been 52,553 cases recorded, with 71 percent of the cases from the Central Division, 28 percent from the Western Division, and 1 percent of the cases from the Eastern and Northern Divisions.

“Our national 7-day rolling average is 5 daily cases calculated for 13 December 2021.”

Close to 92 percent of Fiji’s adult population is fully vaccinated, Dr Fong said.

He said 38,321 children aged 12-17 are also fully vaccinated against covid-19 while 57,697 have received their first dose.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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New Zealand has reached a milestone of eight million vaccine doses administered.

The milestone was featured in the Ministry of Health’s covid-19 update today.

The figure includes first doses, second doses and boosters, as well as third doses intended for those who are immune compromised.

The doses include both the Pfizer — the main vaccine deployed in New Zealand — and AstraZeneca vaccines.

MidCentral and Hutt Valley have also reached 90 percent first doses for Māori, becoming the fourth and fifth district health board (DHB) areas to reach the mark.

However, nationally, the second dose rate for Māori remains at 77 percent.

Canterbury continues to lead the way overall, with 98 percent of eligible people having had a first dose and 94 percent being fully vaccinated.

New Zealand has a population of five million.

55 new community cases, 13 omicron cases in MIQ
The ministry reported 55 new community cases of covid-19 in New Zealand today and five more cases of the omicron variant in recent international arrivals.

The new omicron cases in MIQ take New Zealand’s total to 13.

Four of these cases remain in managed isolation. One person has now recovered and has been released.

The recovered case arrived from London via Singapore on December 7. This case tested positive on day one and was closely managed in MIQ, the ministry said in a statement.

The person was never in the community while infectious.

Of the new community cases, 41 are in Auckland, with the remainder spread between Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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