'COVID-19 Clean Country' New Zealand Faces Crisis... 20% of Population Infected Amid Omicron Surge

As of 0:00 on the 10th, cumulative confirmed cases reach 1,001,898
Claims suggest actual infections may be three times higher than official counts

Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] New Zealand, once regarded as a 'COVID-19 clean country,' is now facing a critical moment as Omicron variant cases surge recently.

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Health on the 10th (local time), the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand reached 1,001,898 as of midnight, meaning about 20% of New Zealand's population (approximately 4.898 million) has been infected.

From early 2020, when COVID-19 first emerged, New Zealand implemented strict lockdown policies, resulting in almost no confirmed cases. In June of the same year, the country recorded zero new daily cases and declared the 'end of COVID-19.' In March of this year, most quarantine measures were lifted in an attempt to return to normal life.

However, the number of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand has surged recently. Of the approximately one million cumulative infections, about 986,000 were confirmed since the beginning of this year, indicating a steep increase. This is believed to be due to the introduction of the highly transmissible Omicron variant at the end of last year.

A bigger concern is the expert opinion that the actual number of infections could be three times higher than the official count. Dr. Dion O'Neill, a member of the mathematical modeling institute at the University of Auckland, told the UK Guardian on the same day, "We know that the cases we see represent only a very small fraction of the actual infections." It is analyzed that the number of asymptomatic individuals, untested people, those hiding their infection status, and those reluctant to get vaccinated far exceeds the official confirmed cases.

Dr. O'Neill pointed out, "If we do not know the actual number of infections, it will be difficult to predict subsequent pandemics, reinfection rates, and the long-term course of COVID-19, which could pose challenges for New Zealand."

Nonetheless, despite the surge in cases, New Zealand is evaluated to be managing severe patients more efficiently compared to other countries. Unlike Hong Kong, once called a COVID-19 eradication country, which recorded over 9,300 deaths among its 7.48 million population, New Zealand's COVID-19 death toll stands at 826 as of this date.

This is attributed to the effectiveness of vaccination. The Guardian explained that 95% of New Zealand adults have completed two doses of the vaccine, and 70% have received booster shots.

Meanwhile, the Omicron BA.5 variant of COVID-19 was recently detected in New Zealand for the first time. On the 8th, the New Zealand Ministry of Health issued a statement announcing that a person who arrived from South Africa on the 26th of last month was confirmed to be infected with the Omicron BA.5 variant.