Listen Now: 
Tēnā anō koutou katoa e ngā kairaranga o te oranga.
For many of you, today is the first day back at mahi after the holidays. I hope you enjoyed time with friends and whānau and are feeling rested and recharged, ready to tackle the year ahead.
More than half a million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for tamariki arrived in Aotearoa this weekend. Immunisation of children aged 5 to 11 years starts on Monday 17 January 2022.
Tamariki need two doses of the vaccine to be fully protected and it is recommended that these are given at least eight weeks apart, although the interval can be safely shortened to a minimum of 21 days if needed.
A parent, caregiver or legal guardian will need to accompany the child to their immunisation appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. The vaccine is free and is the best way we can protect our tamariki and mokopuna.
For whānau who are looking for more information, this resource: COVID-19 vaccine and children: Information for parents and caregivers, found on the Ministry’s website is a good place to start, so feel free to share with those who may benefit.
The vaccine remains our key defence against all variants of COVID-19, including Omicron. It is encouraging to report that in the past 24 hours, 10,703 booster doses were given.
A total of 500,821 booster doses have now been administered since they became available in late November 2021, representing more than 35 per cent of those who are currently eligible.
Boosters are strongly recommended for anyone over 18 who has had their second dose at least four months ago. Heoi anō, I continue to ask everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, to please do so.
It doesn’t matter if they are yet to have their first or second dose, or if they are due for a booster – please encourage whānau that now is the time to book their appointment.
Many of our whānau are starting to return home after the holidays, while some are still travelling around the motu. Wherever you are in Aotearoa, it’s important we all continue to remember our tikanga hauora and traffic light settings.
That means wearing a mask or face covering, physical distancing in crowded or unventilated spaces, and scanning in using the COVID-19 Tracer app or keeping a manual diary.
Mask, scan, pass – these are the three key things to remember at any traffic light setting. It’s important whānau continue to get tested for COVID-19, even if they are vaccinated or have minor symptoms. Testing locations all around the motu can be found on the Healthpoint website.
General update – 27 new cases, 35 people in hospital and 82% of Māori are fully vaccinated
There are a total of 27 new community cases to report in Aotearoa today: One case is in Te Tai Tokerau, 16 are in Tāmaki Makaurau, five cases are in Waikato, two are in the Bay of Plenty, one case is in the Lakes area, two in Hawke’s Bay and one in Wellington.
This brings the total number of cases associated with this outbreak to 14,358.
For the Māori vaccination rollout, 88 per cent of our people have had one dose of the vaccine and 82 per cent have had their second and are fully vaccinated.
One new case in Te Tai Tokerau
There is one new case to report today in the Hokianga area.
This case is linked to a known case in Hokianga and was already in isolation as a close contact when they tested positive. Further investigations are underway to confirm any potential exposures from this case.
16 new cases in Tāmaki Makaurau
There are 16 new cases being reported in Tāmaki Makaurau today.
Health and welfare providers are now supporting 944 people in the region to isolate at home, including 204 cases.
Five new cases in Waikato
There are five new cases in the Waikato today, three are unlinked.
Two are in Kirikiriroa, one in Ngāruawāhia, one in Whitianga, one in Coromandel town.
Pop-up testing sites are operating in Whangamatā and testing is available at general practices in Whangamatā, Whitianga and Te Awamutu by appointment.
Public Health, primary care and manaaki providers are supporting 36 cases to isolate at home.
Two new cases in Bay of Plenty
There are two cases to report in the Western Bay of Plenty today.
One of today’s cases is a previously reported case, and one is still being investigated for potential links. Both cases are isolating at home.
At this stage, no further positive COVID-19 test results have been received associated with the drum and bass festival in Tauranga’s Wharepai Domain on 3 January which had been attended by a person with COVID-19.
All those who attended the festival should monitor for symptoms and get tested if any symptoms develop, no matter how mild. No further cases have been linked to the festival and the initial test results of the 11 close contacts of the Wellington case are all negative.
One new case in Lakes
There is one case to report in Rotorua today. The case is still being investigated for links to previously reported cases.
Hawke’s Bay update
There are two Hawke’s Bay residents who have tested positive while in Waikato. Both cases are previously linked to reported cases in Waikato. Both cases are currently isolating in Te Kūiti. There are no known exposure events associated with these cases in Hawke’s Bay.
One new case in Wellington
There is one new case to report in Wellington. The case attended the Britomart Block Party in Tāmaki Makaurau on New Year’s Eve.
Anyone who attended this event between 11.15pm on 31 December and 2.30am on 1 January are advised to immediately get tested then self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days after you were exposed. If you have symptoms get tested, stay home until you receive a negative test result.
The case is in isolation, and, at this stage, no associated locations of interest have been identified in the Wellington region. Locations of interest for other Wellington cases are published on the Ministry website.
Please remind your friends and whānau to get information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Health website, Unite Against COVID channels, Karawhiua channels, and Te Puni Kōkiri ‘COVID-19 Information for Māori’ portal.
For guidance on protecting yourself and your whānau from COVID-19 misinformation and scams, please visit the Unite Against COVID website.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or my team at Māori Health.
Mā te Atua tātou e manaaki i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā,
Nāhaku me aku mihi aroha.
RELATED NEWS
