Why have there been no locations of interest in Gisborne, despite having 4 local cases?
The short answer is the Protection Framework. Our cases followed the masking rules in most situations that would have generated locations. In other situations, we were able to identify those who were present and directly follow them up, without creating a location of interest. If there were any events that increased risk we would advise the public.
Now that it is likely Omicron is here, what are the most important preventive measures?
1. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine.
Three doses of vaccine are needed to give you fair protection (50-70%) against Omicron infection and good protection against severe infection (~80%). These further reduce the risk of Omicron, which is also less likely to cause severe infection than Delta. However, less severe does not mean that this virus is not causing severe illness or leading to long-term consequences. Just less often.
2. Share air with care
The virus spreads through the air from person to person. The risk of getting infected depends on how much virus you are exposed to. This depends on how close and how long you were with the infectious person, and in what environment (closed, crowded and poor ventilation increase spread)
3. Hygiene (hands, respiratory, stay home when sick)
4. Use the tracker App to track contacts – rapidly isolate when a contact