Covid-19 warning as JN.1 variant circulates
There are 466 known active cases of Covid-19 in Southland and Otago, but under-reporting means the actual number will be higher.
Dr Michael Butchard, the medical officer of health for the southern health district, said the current variant of the virus was JN.1, a subvariant of the Omicron strain.
Covid continued to circulate in the community and the public needed to take precautions over the holiday period to protect themselves and others, he said.
“The latest figures for the southern region show there are 466 reported cases.”
Butchard said the number of community cases had not made a significant impact on services or staff at Southland Hospital, which was operating as usual. The southern health district covers the Southland and Otago regions, including Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown and Wānaka.
Since the novel coronavirus first arrived in the country, there have been 340 Covid-related deaths in the southern district and 3645 across New Zealand.
On Friday, Stuff reported that Covid infections appeared to have spiked over the end-of-year holidays, as the country rode a fifth wave of infections and the introduction of the new JN.1 variant.
Now that self-isolation requirements had ended and people weren’t reporting infections as readily, those involved in tracking new infections relied on wastewater testing and hospitalisation numbers.
Wastewater testing and hospitalisations across the country showed that Covid-19 infections had reached their highest levels since January 2023, epidemiologist Michael Baker said.
Butchard encouraged everyone to report positive Covid test results online at My Covid Record or by calling the helpline free on 0800 222 478. Doing so would provide insights into the number of active cases and enable the provision of support to those who needed it, he said.
People who felt sick should stay home and test for Covid, he said. If the test was positive, Butchard recommended they isolate for five days.
“Get an additional Covid-19 booster you are eligible and at high risk.”