A baby is in intensive care with Covid-19 at New Plymouth Base Hospital.
The hospital in New Plymouth. Photo: Google Maps
Taranaki District Health Board said the baby was one of 10 people in the hospital, but the only one in ICU.
The baby is under one year old, was admitted with Covid-19 related symptoms, and moved to ICU as a precautionary measure.
The DHB said the baby "is in a stable condition but receiving the extra care they require."
It is the first Taranaki Omicron case in intensive care, with just one previous ICU Covid-19 case in 2020.
The total of known active cases in the region now stands at 3769.
A week ago, the total was 1301 active cases. There were 134 cases the previous Friday and just 33 the week before that.
However the daily new cases have plateaued this week, with between 519 and 536 known cases each day since Tuesday.
Today, there were 519 new cases in the region: 373 in north Taranaki, 29 in central Taranaki and 102 in the south, with 15 yet to be confirmed.
A fortnight ago, there were 48 new cases, less than a tenth of today's increase.
Ninety-three percent of people over 12 years old in Taranaki have had a second dose of vaccine, with 70 percent of the double-vaccinated also boosted.
Amongst Māori over 12 years old, 88 percent have a second vaccine dose, but just 55 percent of them are boosted.
Of 5-11 year-olds, 44 percent overall have had their first dose, but just 30 percent of tamariki Māori.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air