There are 810 new Covid-19 cases in the community today – a new record. 

There are also 32 people in hospital, the Ministry of Health said this afternoon. 

"The sharp increase in new cases today is another reminder that, as expected, the highly transmissible Omicron variant is now spreading in our communities as we have seen in other countries," the ministry said. 

"Our expectation is that cases will continue to increase over the coming weeks and we're asking people to do all they can to slow the spread of the virus and protect themselves and their whānau." 

There are currently no patients in ICU. 

The ministry also confirmed that there were no positive Covid cases linked to a large-scale protest on Parliament grounds in Wellington. 

"There are a number of rumours circulating about possible cases of Covid-19 linked to the protest." 

"Wellington's Regional Public Health Unit has confirmed that there are currently no notified positive cases linked to the protest. 

"However, we encourage everyone to be vigilant and to get a test if they become unwell with symptoms of Covid-19." 

Yesterday's numbers: 

More than 57,000 booster shots were also administered yesterday. In all, 1.8 million New Zealanders have had their booster shot - 58 per cent of the eligible population. 

The ministry hopes to lift the daily number of boosters to 100,000 a day as part of its Big Boost campaign, launched this week. 

The 100,000 benchmark has previously only been achieved once, at the Super Saturday vaccination event during the Delta outbreak in October. 

As part of the Big Boost campaign, vaccination providers across the country have been resourced to stay open later. People who are three months past their second dose and eligible for their booster have been notified in a mass text/email initiative. 

The latest Covid cases include an outbreak at Auckland City Hospital, where six staff and seven patients have tested positive for Covid-19. The patients who tested positive were in the hospital's older people's wards. 

The Auckland District Health Board said the index case and the source of transmission were not yet known, and it was continuing to investigate. 

New locations of interest for contact tracing have been identified today. Passengers on Jetstar flight JQ235 leaving Christchurch for Queenstown on Thursday at 1.35pm may have been exposed to a positive case. 

The ministry said people in rows 23, 24, 25, 26 or 27 were considered close contacts and should self-isolate and test immediately. 

And anyone at Pog Mahones Irish Pub and Restaurant in Queenstown last Saturday between 5pm and midnight is being asked to self-isolate and get tested immediately. 

The ministry yesterday identified further locations of interest in Queenstown including a supermarket, a bar and a gym. 

Yesterday, an Air New Zealand flight from the Covid-19 free Cook Islands was named as a location of interest. 

Flight NZ945 from Rarotonga arrived in Auckland at 5.30pm on Tuesday this week. 

Passengers seated in rows 53 to 57 – indicating the infected person may not have been a crew member – were considered close contacts. 

They should self-isolate, get tested immediately and again on day five after exposure, the Ministry of Health said. 

There have been no community cases of Covid-19 in the Cook Islands, which has a double-dosed vaccination rate of 96 per cent of the eligible population.