The recent Soundsplash festival, held in Hamilton on Friday 21st January til Sunday 23rd January has been named as a super spreader event.

On Wednesday night, prominent microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles said the festival appears to have been a "very big super-spreader event", warning Kiwis to prepare for a surge in infections. 

Anyone in attendance should self monitor for 10 days after the event and if symptoms develop, to go and get a swab test.

Dr Wiles also said "Brace yourself New Zealand. Looks like might have had a very big superspreader event. Word of warning - nasal swabs may miss about 1/10 positives with omicron so if you have symptoms and test negative you may still be infected."



Fifty-six cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed as the Omicron variant or are suspected of carrying the highly infectious strain.

The Ministry of Health said 56 community cases of the virus have either been confirmed as the Omicron variant via whole genome sequencing, or are suspected of carrying the strain due to a link to a confirmed case. 

Fifteen new cases spanning Auckland, Taranaki and Nelson-Tasman were linked to the January Omicron Cluster on Wednesday, with 12 further cases - linked to the three Omicron-positive border workers reported earlier this month - also recorded.

The variant of COVID-19, which produces less severe illness but is incredibly transmissible, found a foothold in the community over the weekend when nine people tested positive for the virus in Motueka. The family had travelled to Auckland the weekend prior for a wedding and other events.

The January Omicron Cluster, which currently spans Auckland, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Taranaki and Nelson-Tasman, is projected to increase to possibly tens of thousands of cases, with experts warning the strain could infect half of the population in a matter of months.