New Zealand

COVID-19 update: Omicron case confirmed in Palmerston North

January 21, 2022 2:12 pm

A case of COVID -19 detected in Palmerston North has been confirmed to be the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health says.

In total, there are 23 Covid-19 cases in the community today and 44 infections at the border. There are 18 cases in hospital, including one in ICU.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said “Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has confirmed that the case who tested positive in Palmerston North has the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

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“The case became symptomatic on Wednesday and returned a positive Covid-19 test result on Wednesday evening, with WGS confirmed Thursday evening.

“Whole-genome sequencing has identified similarities to border cases identified in Auckland, but no direct links. It has not identified any links to cases in the Christchurch MIQ facility, suggesting that the source of infection is offshore – either in the country they travelled from or during travel to New Zealand – rather than transmission in the Christchurch MIQ facility where they stayed.”

The case is considered to be infectious from Monday 17 January.

All locations of interest associated with the case are considered to be high risk.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday announced that if transmission of the Omicron variant was detected in the community, all of New Zealand would move to the red traffic light setting within 24 to 48 hours.