New rules have been introduced for close contacts linked to COVID-19 cases in Western Australian schools.

The changes come after the state recorded another day of more than 2,000 infections on Sunday.

Based on updated public health advice, the new rules mean that parents and caregivers are no longer required to self-quarantine when providing care to a child identified as a close contact with a COVID case. -19.

Depending on the needs of the child, a parent or caregiver may still need to stay home to care for them during their quarantine.

Global Transactional and global market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the correct and valuable information. The data that has been reviewed takes into account both existing top players and upcoming competitors. The business strategies of key players and new industries entering the market are studied in detail. A well-explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis. It also provides market information in terms of development and its capabilities.

Global Transactional and Market Research Report 2022-2028 is a factual overview and in-depth study on the current and future market of the Mobility Healthcare Solutions industry. The Global Transactional and Market report provides supreme data, such as development strategy, competitive landscape, environment, opportunities, risks, challenges and barriers, value chain optimization, contact and revenue, technological advancements, product offerings of key players and market structuring dynamics. The Global Transactional and Market report provides the growth rate, recent trends, and an absolute study of major players at regular intervals in the market based on the lightness of their product description, business outline, and business tactics.

Download a free PDF sample report with full TOC, figures and graphs (with covid 19 impact analysis): https://www.maccuracyreports.com/report-sample/204206

Summary

According to XYZResearch study, over the next 5 years the Marketing and Transactional Messaging Software market will register a xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach USD xx Million by 2026, from xx Million USD in 2020. In particular, it should be noted that the impact of the epidemic has accelerated the trend of localization, regionalization and decentralization of the global industrial chain and supply chain, so it is inevitable to rebuild the global industrial chain. Faced with the global industrial mutation of the post-epidemic era, enterprises in different countries need to take precautions. This report presents the revenue, market share and growth rate for each key company. In this analysis report, we will find the details below:

1. Comprehensive in-depth analysis of the market structure along with forecast from 2021 to 2026 of the various segments of the global Transactional Messaging and Marketing Software market.

2. Who is the leading company in the Transactional Messaging and Marketing Software market, key company competitive analysis, mergers and acquisitions, market dynamics.

3. Which region has emerged as the largest growth area in the Transactional Messaging and Marketing Software market?

4. The most potential segment of each regional market.

5. Overview of factors affecting market growth, including the impact of COVID -19.

6. Global Transactional and Marketing Messaging Software Market based on value chain analysis and SWOT analysis.

7. Regional Market Analysis for current revenue (Million USD) and future prospects.

Key Players Operating in the Transactional Messaging and Marketing Software-Competitive Analysis Market:

Amazon.co.uk

constant contact

MailChimp

Sending Grid

SparkPost

sendinblue

Zoho Campaigns

Pepipost

Mailgun

SMTP2GO

have an answer

WebEngage

Maropost

j2 global

A Weber Communications

Reference Internet Group

Campaign Monitor

ConvertKit

Regional Segmentation (Value; Revenue, USD Million, 2015 – 2026) of the Transactional Messaging and Marketing Software Market by XYZResearch includes:

China

EU

United States

Japan

India

South East Asia

South America

Type Outlook (Value; Revenue, USD Million, 2015 – 2026):

Transactions

marketing

Application Outlook (Value; Revenue, USD Million, Market Share, 2015 – 2026):

large companies

SME

For any other requirements, do not hesitate to contact us and we will provide you with a personalized report.

Get an exclusive discount on this report @: https://www.maccuracyreports.com/check-discount/204206

Impact of COVID-19

The report covers the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost every country in the world, as declared by the World Health Organization public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already beginning to be felt and will significantly affect global transactions and the market in 2022.

The COVID-19 epidemic has had effects on many aspects, such as flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all restricted indoor/outdoor events; more than forty countries declare a state of emergency; massive supply chain slowdown; stock market volatility; declining business confidence, growing panic among the population and uncertainty about the future.

Highlights of Global Transactions and Market Reports Coverage:

– A comprehensive background analysis, which includes an assessment of the global transaction and market.
– Significant changes in the dynamics of the global transaction and market market
– Global transactional and market segmentation down to second and third level regional bifurcation
– Historical, current, and projected size of the global deal and market market in terms of value (revenue) and volume (production and consumption)
– Report and assessment of recent global transactional and market developments
– Global transactional and market share and strategies of key players
– Emerging niche Global transactional and market segments and regional markets
– An objective assessment of the trajectory of the Global Transaction and the Market
– Recommendations to companies to strengthen their presence in the global transactional and market market

Additionally, export and import policies which can have an immediate impact on global transactions and market. This study contains a chapter related to EXIM* on the global market and transactions and all its associated companies with their profiles, which provides valuable data on their prospects in terms of financials, product portfolios, investment plans and marketing and sales strategies.

Comprehensive transactional and global market report spread over 200+ pages, list of tables and figures, profiling 10+ companies. Select license version and purchase this updated research report directly @ https://www.maccuracyreports.com/checkout/204206

Answers to key questions in the report:

• What is the growth potential of the global transactional market?
• Which product segment will take the lion’s share?
• Which regional market will impose itself as a pioneer in the years to come?
• Which application segment will experience strong growth?
• What growth opportunities might arise in the mobility healthcare solutions industry in the coming years?
• What are the most important challenges that the global marketplace and transaction may face in the future?
• Who are the main companies in the global transactional market?
• What are the main trends that are positively impacting market growth?
• What growth strategies are the players considering to stay in the Transactional and the Global Market?

If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer the report as you wish.

About Us:

MR Accuracy Reports’ well-researched contributions that encompass areas ranging from IT to healthcare enable our valued clients to capitalize on key growth opportunities and protect against credible threats prevailing in the market in the scenario current and those expected in the near future. Our research reports provide our clients with macro-level insights in various key regions of the world that provide them with a broader perspective to align their strategies to take advantage of lucrative growth opportunities in the market.

Contact us:
MR Accuracy Reports,
USA: +1 804 500 1224
UK: +44 741841 3666
ASIA: +91 747888728100
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.maccuracyreports.com

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) – At the start of COVID, public health officials attempted to contact everyone who tested positive. Now, some agencies have concluded that they just can’t catch everyone, so they’re changing their strategy.

Health officials depended on contact tracing to help reduce the spread of COVID. The idea was that if you tested positive, you would receive a call from a health worker asking who you have been around so they can determine if those contacts could also be spreading COVID.

But Omicron sent such a high number of cases that health experts concluded they couldn’t reach everyone, so they better shift priorities.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said it is reducing contact tracing for the general population and focusing on congregate living — places like nursing homes and homeless shelters where populations are most vulnerable and where nearby neighborhoods facilitate the spread of the virus.

Pima County Health Director Dr. Terry Cullen says Pima County is still working to contact anyone who tests positive, but is giving some settings an extra priority.

“The predominant impetus for contact tracing right now is our school cases and our community life cases. Both of these continue to be very high risk situations. And we continue to do contact tracing in them.

Dr. Cullen says the county was hitting a thousand new cases a day last month. Unless someone refuses to cooperate – and some refuse – a tracer may learn that two or three other people need to call. The phone call itself can last an average of 20 minutes.

Dr Cullen says: “That means we would have had a thousand cases to investigate and two to three thousand contacts. This was not the case at the time. So to be blunt as we say we are still doing contact tracing. In the midst of these very high numbers, people were not being contacted.

She says the number of more recent cases has declined, but is still well above levels considered dangerously high.

Dr Cullen says more than data is lost when people don’t hear about contact tracers. Tracers can offer advice on how best to quarantine and where to find services that can help get through their COVID cases.

At the start of the pandemic, the COVIDSafe app was designed as a tool to improve contact tracing. And a multimedia campaign promoted it as helping to find more COVID contacts faster.

Today, almost two years after its launch in April 2020, we publish in Lancet Public Health our assessment of the effectiveness and usefulness of the app in New South Wales.

We analyzed data from 619 recorded COVID cases in NSW aged over 12 and their contacts between May and November 2020. We also surveyed contact tracers to find out if they found the app useful.

Our analysis showed that the app did not add much value to the existing conventional contact tracing system.

A total of 22% of cases used the app. Most (61%) of the contacts registered by the app as “close contacts” turned out not to be epidemiologically linked to a case. The app only detected 15% of true close contacts identified by conventional contact tracing.

In total, COVIDSafe detected only 17 additional true close contacts in New South Wales during the six-month evaluation period.

This has resulted in substantial additional work for contact tracers and overall has not made a significant contribution to the COVID response in NSW.

---

Read more: From COVID control to chaos – what now for Australia? Two paths are open to us

---

Tracing takes time

Interviewing new cases to identify, trace and isolate their close contacts is a critical public health activity. But that takes time, and contact tracers can be quickly overwhelmed when the number of cases increases.

Digital contact tracing apps were enthusiastically adopted at the start of the COVID pandemic in many countriesincluding Australia.

Like many other tracing apps, COVIDSafe uses smartphones’ built-in Bluetooth feature to exchange signals between phones.

The duration, frequency and transmission strength of these “digital handshakes” are used to determine whether two smartphone users have come into “close contact” with each other.

Poor ability to correctly detect and identify close contacts

During our study period, less than a quarter of all cases used the app. That’s half the proportion of the general Australian public who have done so.

Of the cases that used the app, many did not have a single contact recorded by the app. For others, contact tracers were unable to access app data.

Contact tracers could use app data for 32 (5%) of 619 cases during our study period. Of these cases, only 79 (39%) of the 205 contacts recorded by the app as “close contacts” could be verified as true close contacts. This suggests a low positive predictive value of the app.

Here are examples of fake close contacts recorded by the app:

• neighbors in different apartments in apartment buildings

• office workers in adjoining rooms

• customers from nearby restaurants

• people waiting in separate cars at drive-through COVID testing clinics.

The vast majority (85%) of close contacts identified by conventional contact tracing were not detected by the app, indicating low sensitivity.

Some additional contacts detected

In the six months of our study, there were only 17 true close contacts identified by COVIDSafe who would otherwise have been missed – a tiny fraction of the more than 25,300 close contacts detected and tracked through conventional contact tracing in New South Wales during the same period.

None of those 17 contacts have tested positive. COVIDSafe therefore did not contribute to preventing new exposures in New South Wales during our evaluation period.

---

Read more: Free rapid antigen tests make economic sense for governments, our analysis shows

---

Technological defects

Contact tracers didn’t find the app easy to use. Some said the app doesn’t seem to work as reliably on all types of phones. The number of contacts on iPhones was grossly underestimated, while those on Android phones were overestimated.

Contact tracers have also noted the app’s apparent inability to properly save contacts unless it’s open. This could explain the large number of cases without any contact recorded in our study.

The process of matching close contacts identified by the app with those identified during case interviews was considered time-consuming, especially since most of the contacts detected by the app were not actually close contacts.

Staff interviewed said it could easily overwhelm the contact tracing system if the number of cases had been higher, paradoxically reducing the usefulness of the app when it was needed most.

Overall, contact tracers’ perceptions of the app ranged from “not having much impact” to being an extra step that increased the workload without adding much value.

Little added value at high costs

In our study, COVIDSafe did not make a significant contribution to the COVID response in New South Wales in 2020. Instead, the app created a high workload without any clear benefit.

This contrasts with the 7.7 million Australian dollars he cost to develop and run COVIDSafe until the end of April 2021, with estimated maintenance between $60,000 and $75,000 per month since.

The arrival of the highly transmissible variant of Omicron at the end of 2021 in Australia, coinciding with the lifting of most public health restrictions, has led to a massive increase in the number of cases, forcing a series of major adjustments in the search for contacts.

---

Read more: Australia has all but ditched the COVIDSafe app in favor of QR codes (so be sure to check in)

---

In most parts of Australia, contact tracing now plays a very limited role in controlling COVID. Nevertheless, it is likely to stay a key public health intervention for infectious diseases in the future.

For digital contact tracing apps to be effective and useful, it will be important to involve contact tracers when designing the system, testing the underlying technology under real-world conditions, and evaluating the app regularly. after deployment.

---

Dr Anthea Katelaris, a public health physician who worked at the Western Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit at the time of the study, co-authored the research referenced in this article.

The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its variants has brought the world of contact tracing technology to the forefront under the guise of vaccine passports, which are becoming the key to everyone’s business, travel and social life. days.

Companies involved in the development of this technology have naturally grown in importance and investors have given them more attention.

One company that has become involved in the field is CSE-listed Contakt World (CSE:HELP) Technologies Inc, which was established to develop and deliver SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions for the public and private. The company integrates data collection and management, communications, advertising and IoT devices for the healthcare industry and is committed to improving health equity and disease management.

Smart Health RM, a relationship management software built from the ground up, was Contakt World’s first SaaS software application (CSE:HELP) for public health agencies, designed with a particular focus on contact tracing and community engagement communication channels leveraging AI technology.

Contakt World acquired its second platform, HealthCheck, a symptom management tool that helps HR departments and healthcare professionals monitor the well-being of those who report to work or school each day, in August 2021.

Then, in October 2021, Contakt World decided to provide access to vaccine passport technology through a partnership with Portum, which provides secure proof of vaccination to monitor guest access to events or venues. Contakt World will offer the Portum platform to commercial and government customers to meet and monitor vaccination mandates in public and private settings, exposure notification, symptom checker, secure vaccine wallet and distancing notifications.

The year-old company went public in July 2021, with Zayn Kalyan, a partner at a venture capital firm, and one of the company’s founding investors, Altus Capital, as interim CEO. .

Proactive caught up with Kalyan to learn more about the company.

Proactive: Contakt World was established in 2020 as a health equity-conscious contact tracing company. Has its mission changed in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Zayn Kalyan: Thus, the company has evolved since its original inception beyond just focusing on contact tracing. We have expanded our scope to focus on providing software solutions for the health and wellness space beyond just pandemic response. But, having said that, our core business is the HealthCheck product and what it essentially does is provide symptom screening and vaccine passport validation tools for medium and large businesses. We like to call it a “Covid Compliance” solution.

Right now in the United States there is a lot of pressure for companies to ensure that all of their employees are vaccinated and to ensure that all employees regularly report their symptoms on a day-to-day basis. And while it may not seem like the sexiest company, there is a huge demand for it. Even in the face of sweeping vaccination warrants being closed by the US Supreme Court, private companies continue to push very hard to have all their staff vaccinated and validate that vaccination, as well as to ensure regular screening for symptoms.

This is often for insurance purposes. Simply ensuring that all of their staff are able to meet their insurance requirements, they should regularly check in with their employees that they are vaccinated and free of symptoms. In a broader context, however, I would say that the company is really focused on providing SaaS solutions, not only in terms of pandemic response, but also beyond.

So we’re looking across the entire health technology space to find companies that we can acquire or partner with to really expand our portfolio and continue to deliver solutions. Currently, we have over 800 customers and over 100,000 users on our platform. And we think it’s a huge opportunity to be able to market other solutions on this network.

So what kind of areas would the company be looking to expand into?

I think initially we’re obviously very focused on the health technology space, and that includes telehealth. We are looking very critically at long-term care and home care, and how we can innovate in those areas through technology. And in other areas such as on-demand nursing. Then, beyond that, we’re also looking to see how we can be very innovative. I think there’s a lot of opportunity in providing solutions, leveraging virtual reality and augmented reality in the metaverse, and there’s also a lot of opportunity in the blockchain space. We want to be at the forefront of that.

You serve as interim CEO of Contakt World, as a partner in venture capital firm Altus Capital, one of the company’s founding investors. So what do you think you bring to the company yourself?

So my background is actually in software development. I started my career as a software engineer. Through a number of companies, I sort of made my way into venture capital and investment banking and have been with Altus Capital for almost just over four years. I think I’m kind of looking to guide the business as it evolves beyond just being Contakt World and looking to acquire other assets and bring them together to create a software and technology portfolio More diverse SaaS.

I am therefore looking to continue and stay with the business over the next two months as we grow it, while looking for a strong management team who can continue to grow the business beyond my tenure.

Is it something that would be done internally? Where do you see external appointments?

I think it will go through the acquisition. As we look at other businesses to acquire and other businesses to expand, I’m sure we’ll find the key management players we need throughout this process.

So what should investors expect from the company in the short to medium term?

I think it’s been an exciting year. HealthCheck has done an excellent job over the past two years. The business has made nearly C$1.35 million in the past calendar year and continues to grow. There is a growing demand for the products and very healthy margins, being a SaaS business. I think as we look to acquire other companies, there will be a great series of new and very good partnerships with larger companies, and all of this in the face of more revenue and more profits in this area.

I think we are currently in a great position in technology, at the macro level. Big tech is struggling in capital markets, and I think this is an opportunity to find accretive acquisitions at fair valuations that we can add to our top line and bottom line.

So what do you think of the Contakt World share price?

I think coming out of 2020 we were trading a discount on our true value in the context of the rest of the tech market with people just looking at us as a COVID deal and not understanding the business as it exists today and the number of customers that we have, as well as the number of daily active users that we have.

I think as we expand into 2022 we will continue to educate the market and I think as we make more acquisitions and build the portfolio , this will be positively reflected in our share price. We’re very excited about going into 2022. Like I said, I think there’s a lot of opportunity, not just in health tech but also beyond, and we are looking to make some very good strategic acquisitions in the months ahead. .

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) – CBS13 has learned that several people have tested positive for Covid-19 and have not received calls or text messages from contact tracers for weeks.

This raised two questions: are people unknowingly exposing others and is contact tracing necessary?

READ MORE: Solution for smoking? California bill would eliminate litter left behind by smokers

A person will test positive for Covid-19 and will only receive a call or text from contact tracers after they have already tested negative, meaning anyone they have seen in person in the meantime has already potentially been infected.

“If contact tracing doesn’t happen in a timely manner, it won’t help,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, professor of medicine and public health at USC.

Dr Klausner says that with the omicron Covid-19 variant prevalent, the program is of little value.

“Omicron has a shorter incubation period,” he said. “To effectively monitor omicron through contact tracing, calls should be made within 24-48 hours of a person testing positive.”

And it is not possible. Due to high demand for testing, local labs are being beefed up and positive results take several days to reach the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) which is in charge of contact tracing notifications.

“Last week in Yolo County, we had the most positive tests we’ve ever had,” said Yolo County spokesman John Fout.

Yolo County has had a record 238 cases per 100,000 people.

READ MORE: Elk Grove Horse Rescue stolen over the weekend

“When you have that many tests, you’re going to have test delays,” Fout said.

Delayed contact tracing means potential for more Covid-19 infections.

“There are a few backups on the state system. The state system is a kind of failsafe. Other systems are especially schools,” Fout said. “If they have a positive contact, they will let people know, as well as workplaces. When there is a positive result, they notify everyone in the office.

So what is contact tracing good for? According to job search site Indeed, the average salary for contact tracers is $27.83 per hour.

Dr. Klausner says the money spent may not be worth it anymore.

“The contact tracing program should be redesigned,” Dr. Klausner said. “Staff could come out to motivate people to get vaccinated. They could also be reassigned to case management.

This would mean focusing only on reaching out to at-risk populations and connecting them to medical care.

NO MORE NEWS: Proposed homeless shelter next to Sacramento Children’s Foster Home

CBS13 reached out to CDPH to ask about delays in their system and if they were considering a new role for contact tracers. We haven’t had a response.

Despite government assurances that contact tracing was nearly foolproof, the Omicron outbreak quickly highlights the shortcomings of the system, writes Matthew Scott.

TO ANALYSE: The first signs of contact tracers unable to track the burden of new positive Covid cases in the community have emerged.

Two cases from the Omicron outbreak underwent testing and received positive test results without hearing from the contact tracing team.

The cases were an Air NZ worker from the Auckland flight to Nelson and a kitchen worker from Summerset Retirement Village in Flatbush, where a positive case among staff has now led to a mini-lockdown for residents.

READ MORE:
* How to protect children under 5 against Covid
* Covid-19 and the burnout epidemic: Employers have obligations towards staff at risk of stress
* Covid-19: Cafe owner urges locals not to abandon businesses affected by Omicron

Contact tracers are responsible for identifying potential contacts of a positive case and contacting them to provide advice on testing and self-isolation.

If people don’t log in or leave contact details when they visit what become places of interest, tracing work can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Writing in Newsroom last week, University of Otago epidemiologist Amanda Kvalsvig warned: ‘We can expect contact tracing to drop pretty quickly.

And indeed, on Monday, the Department of Health reported that the contact tracing team had a busy day looking for anyone who might have been near a suspected case of Omicron.

However, a Department of Health spokesperson said the cases were not existing close contacts of other cases, meaning they were not known until they tested positive.

Yet both were listed as having come into contact with the Nelson-Tasman family. Both cases were documented as having been at places of interest, one on the same flight and the other at the same wedding.

The lapses run counter to government assurances towards the end of last year that contact tracing could handle the summer surge, with a Department of Health spokesman saying the system could handle 1,000 new cases daily or 6,000 contacts per day.

Chief Health Officer Dr Ashley Bloomfield conceded no doubts about the system. “I’m confident in our contact tracing capability, acknowledging again that the way we use it has changed to be very focused on those very close, close contacts,” he told Newsroom in November.

The problem is that an event like a wedding or several hours enclosed in the tight confines of an airplane cabin with limited ventilation can produce a lot of very close contacts.

An Air NZ spokesperson reported that an air crew employee had been tested after developing symptoms, with no communication from contact tracers.

Similarly, the Summerset Retirement Village kitchen worker was reportedly invited to the wedding at the Totara Event Center in New Lynn on Saturday, Jan. 15, attended by a family who had flown in from the Nelson area.

The first family members to attend the wedding tested positive Thursday morning. But it wasn’t until Friday night that the worker was told by another wedding attendee and went to get tested on his own. Although he works with vulnerable older people, he was not approached by contact tracers until told of the positive result on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Summerset Retirement Village said the company acted immediately after hearing the worker’s positive test result by deep-cleaning the kitchen and closing the village and care center completely.

More than 300 Covid tests were then carried out among staff, care homes and residents of the village.

As public health strategy evolves, contact tracing is set to become less important, with Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins even noting yesterday that at some point suspected cases won’t even be asked out and to get an exam.

It portends a new phase of the pandemic for New Zealand, where halting the spread has been replaced by slowing the spread and reliable tools of the past two years like contact tracing and MIQ are replaced by booster injections and self-isolation.

The difference is that the latter is much more about personal responsibility – the responsibility to keep your immunity in good shape with the best tools at hand, and the responsibility to keep yourself away from others if you wake up sneezing. and coughing.

Tuesday’s Department of Health statement appears to be intended to lower expectations about the effectiveness of contact tracing in this new era.

One of the new hotspots is a busy Sunday night party at the Pukekohe Indian Hall.

“The Auckland Regional Public Health Department believes a large number of people attended this event,” the statement from the Department of Health said. “Anyone in this location at the relevant times is urged to get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result is returned.”

Tracking down everyone who attended the Pukekohe event wouldn’t be easy if everyone didn’t scan.

But if the government’s indications are to be believed, the days of people being searched by places visited as the first line of defense against the virus may be coming to an end.

Nearly 1,000 people are self-isolating after coming into contact with an Omicron case in recent days.

A Department of Health spokesperson said this morning that 993 contacts were associated with confirmed and suspected cases of Omicron.

Ten new cases of Omicron were announced today – part of 25 cases of Covid-19 reported in the community by the ministry.

The new cases bring the total number of Omicron infections in the cluster to 29.

Of today’s new community cases, at least six are in Auckland and are linked, directly or indirectly, to a family event and other events associated with Auckland over the weekend of January 15-16, when the Omicron cluster began to form.

And 89 of those in isolation have been associated with the Ara-Tai cafe at Half Moon Bay in Auckland, which was visited by an Omicron case last Tuesday for an hour and a half.

“Of these, 87 were met, 83 returned a negative Covid-19 and none returned a positive result,” the spokesperson said.

The case visited the cafe between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. last Tuesday and customers who were seated inside and outside the cafe were asked to self-isolate and get tested.

As of this morning, 56 contacts have been linked to a Sky Tower exhibition event last Sunday.

So far, 21 people have returned negative test results and no one has returned a positive result.

The ministry noted that some of the contacts who were not reached by public health personnel or contact tracers returned a negative result.

“This number will fluctuate but, overall, cases and contacts are expected to increase given the highly transmissible nature of Omicron and as we learn more from case interviews.”

Modeling suggests that New Zealand could receive between 5,000 and 50,000 cases per day of the highly transmissible variant. Despite this, Health Minister Andrew Little said yesterday he was confident the health system could cope.

Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins told Newstalk ZB’s Tim Dower yesterday that many people who receive the variant will be able to stay at home while they fight the virus.

Health officials continue to research how Omicron entered the community.

The link between the nine Motueka cases and the border is not yet known – leading health officials to believe the highly transmissible variant was circulating in Auckland and potentially the Nelson area.

Tomorrow, an announcement is expected from Cabinet after discussions on a new plan within the traffic light system.