Covid 19

Christchurch's Ballantynes department store has closed for three days because of the Covid-19 risk, as the city braces for spread of the highly-transmissable Omicron variant.

All staff, patients and visitors to Southern DHB facilities will need to wear a medical grade face mask from now on.

The government has clarified the settings where face masks will and won't be required as the country navigates through a Covid-19 Omicron outbreak.

Suspected Omicron cases were among a large number of people who went to a polo event in Tauranga on Saturday and attendees are asked to stay alert for symptoms.

Southland's regional council has closed its office until further notice after a contact of a positive Covid-19 case visited and met with staff in the past two days.

There are 105 new community cases of Covid-19 today, with the total number of Omicron cases reported in the community also now at 105.

The 40th anniversary edition of the Coast to Coast race will be going ahead on 12 February, albeit in a reduced format, but the Wellington Round the Bays run has been cancelled. Audio

Almost a year after the first Covid-19 vaccinations were administered, the West Coast DHB has hit the 90 percent vaccination target.

An evolutionary virologist says fully vaccinated people with a booster dose are effectively protected against the Omicron BA.2 mutation. Audio

An Australian-based epidemiologist says in the face of Omicron, the focus should be on ensuring the health system is not overwhelmed as case numbers increase. Audio

Victoria has recorded the deaths of 39 more Covid-19 patients, while New South Wales has reported 35 deaths.

Māori health leaders say something needs to be done to close the Covid-19 vaccine gap for Māori.

A teenager who tested positive after attending Soundsplash says 12 of her friends who were at the festival have also contracted the virus, while an Auckland scientist says it could be a superspreader… Audio

Cancelled flights and managed isolation have stranded an unknown number of people on either side of the Tasman.

Rural GP Network clinical director Jeremy Webber says his colleagues are waiting for the outbreak "with some trepidation".