There are 25 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, including eight confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.
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There are 13 new community cases in Auckland, four in Waikato, four in Northland, two in Nelson Tasman, one in Rotorua 1 and one in Manawatū.
One of the Nelson Tasman cases was first announced yesterday and had been officially added to the case numbers today, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Both cases are linked to previously reported Omicron cases.
"The Palmerston North case is a household contact of a previously reported Omicron case and this case was already isolating."
The ministry said to date, there are 19 community cases of Covid-19 associated with the January Omicron Cluster, all are in isolation.
"Of these cases, today we are reporting eight - two are in the Nelson/Tasman region and are contacts of existing cases, five cases are in Auckland linked to one of the reported family events, and there is an additional case in Palmerston North, a household contact who was already isolating and linked to the previously reported Palmerston North Omicron case.
"The number of cases and contacts are expected to grow given the highly transmissible nature of Omicron and as we learn more from case interviews."
There are also 50 new cases in managed isolation today.
There are 10 cases of Covid-19 in hospital today - five in North Shore, two in Auckland, one in Middlemore, one in Rotorua and one in Northland. There are no cases in ICU or HDU.
The average age of those in hospital is 57.
There is now a total of 11,515 community cases of Covid-19 in the latest outbreak - 8762 of those have been epidemiologically linked. There are 467 active cases.
Further locations of interest have been identified across Auckland and the Nelson Tasman region.
The ministry said the new locations of interest will be published on the ministry's website as they are confirmed.
The website has already listed several locations of interest in Auckland linked to Omicron cases.
A person infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 visited Rainbow's End theme park in Manukau between 1pm and 3.30pm on 16 January.
The Sand Dunz Cafe in Muriwai on Auckland's west coast, is also an Omicron-related location of interest between 3pm and 3.30pm on 18 January. The ministry says people who were at the cafe or Rainbow's End at the specified times should monitor for symptoms for 10 days.
Tarka Indian Eatery in Mission Bay has already been identified as a close contact location for the Omicron variant and anyone who was there from 4pm to 5pm on 14 January is asked to isolated, get tested immediately and on day five after the exposure.
On vaccinations, 21,318 booster doses and 6399 paediatric doses were given yesterday. There were 10,061 tests in the past 24 hours.
"Boosters lower your chances of Covid-19, including the Omicron variant, making you very sick and being hospitalised, and help to slow the spread of the virus," the ministry said.
It also said from now, unlinked positive cases of Covid-19 in the community will get priority for whole genome sequencing.
These samples will be treated as urgent and tested within 12-24 hours of being received by the laboratory.
Previously, sequencing Covid-19 in international arrivals was the priority.
There were no unexpected results from wastewater testing.
Yesterday health officials announced there were 24 new community cases of Covid-19 in the community, and 47 new cases in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had also announced that the whole country would be moving into the red traffic light setting at 11.59pm last night.