Omicron sweeping through universities

Universities are steeling themselves for Omicron outbreaks within their student populations, with an outbreak already tearing through Otago University's student precinct.

 All of the country's eight universities have adopted vaccine mandates in some form for the coming year, and lectures will largely be online.

The University of Otago is in the grips of an outbreak in its student population, with 955 active cases of Covid in the city. Dunedin is currently reporting a positivity rate of 21.6 percent, meaning one in five tests are coming back positive, compared to a nation-wide average of 10.9 percent.

Kathryn speaks to Professor Grant Guilford, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington, Professor David Murdoch is the new Vice Chancellor at Otago University and a student in Dunedin, who has tested positive.