Nine new cases of the Omicron variant have been detected at the border, and 62 people are in hospital with Covid-19. Whole genome sequencing has now detected nine further cases of Omicron in international arrivals, taking New Zealand’s total to 22 cases with the variant. Of the total Omicron cases to date, all remain in managed isolation, except for one case who has now recovered and been released as they are no longer infectious. READ MORE:* Covid-19: Locations of interest in Delta outbreak – December 20* Covid-19: Experts warn there could be an 'explosion' of Omicron cases in MIQ as variant spreads* Covid-19 NZ: Left unchecked Omicron could lead to tens of thousands of cases dailyOf the 62 people in hospital with Covid on Monday, seven are in intensive care or high dependency care units. There are seven cases in Waikato: five in Te Kūiti, one in Huntly and one in Tokoroa.

Source: Stuff December 19, 2021 23:51 UTC