Positive cases were confirmed in Invercargill and Gore last night.
The Southern District Health Board is urging anybody who has cold or flu-like symptoms to get tested and isolate at home until a negative test is returned.
Both of the new cases had visited the Queenstown area and were now isolating at their homes.
Testing numbers rose sharply yesterday after Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the South.
With one confirmed case in Dunedin and two in Queenstown yesterday, 873 people were tested for Covid-19, up from 341 tests in the region a week earlier.
WellSouth said yesterday Dunedin staff alone administered 433 tests; Queenstown did 229.
The day before, 220 tests were administered in Dunedin and 197 in Queenstown.
In Dunedin, Te Kaika spokeswoman Kelly Laurence confirmed there had been a large influx of people wanting to get tested at its Victoria Rd testing station.
Site leader Mariana Dean said yesterday’s testing started slowly, then it felt like the whole of Dunedin came down to get a test.
The waiting line to receive a vaccine was less than half the length of those waiting to be swabbed, she said.
A SDHB spokeswoman said as of 1pm yesterday there were 56 contacts isolating in the South.
She could not provide data yesterday from previous days, she said.
Queenstown had a series of locations of interest, but none was confirmed in Dunedin.
A University of Otago spokeswoman said its dental school cancelled elective appointments yesterday as a precautionary measure in relation to Covid-19 protocols.
It was still providing urgent care.
The university had not been informed it was a location of interest in relation to the confirmed Covid-19 case in Dunedin.
Meanwhile, as locations of interest climbed in Queenstown, the latest figures from the Ministry of Health showed booster rates had lagged.
As of early this week, only 47% of Queenstown’s eligible residents were boosted, lower than Clutha (52%), Central Otago (61%) and Dunedin (62%).
The spokeswoman said yesterday there were 650 bookable appointments in Queenstown Lakes for the booster shots this weekend.
Also, walk-in vaccinations were available at some locations.
"With the first cases of Omicron now present in the community we can expect to see demand for boosters increase, and therefore booster rates to improve in the district," she said.
The only change to Dunedin City Council services so far is temporary closure of the Rummage store at the Green Island landfill.
This was to ensure staff could cover services considered more critical.
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said council staff had planned for Covid’s return and some disruption was likely.
"This won’t affect our core services, so residents can be confident water will still come out of the taps and rubbish will still be collected."
Mr Hawkins encouraged people to make a plan for how they would manage in self-isolation.
- New Zealand hit a record of 446 Covid-19 community cases yesterday as the number of vaccine jabs in New Zealanders’ arms hit the 10million milestone.
The latest case numbers were announced by the Ministry of Health yesterday afternoon — well up on Thursday’s total of 306.
An expert has said the country could have 600 daily cases of Covid-19 by early next week and exceed 1000 in five to six days after that.
"You wouldn’t put a precise estimate but the direction of the curve is very consistent. It is rising rapidly and we will obviously start to see numbers we’ve never seen before in New Zealand," University of Otago professor Michael Baker said. — Additional reporting Grant Miller
Dunedin man Peter Enitermark give the thumbs up as he gets his booster shot at Te Kaika’s drive-through clinic.
Locations of interest (as of Friday night)
- For new locations listed today click here
Jervois Steakhouse Queenstown, Thursday, February 3, 8pm-9pm
The Ballarat, Queenstown, Thursday, February 3, 7.55pm-11pm; close contact
My Thai Lounge, Queenstown, Friday, February 4, 7.30pm-8.30pm; close contact
Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar Queenstown, Friday, February 4, 10pm-1am Saturday, February 5; close contact for patrons in booths by the entrance and the toilets/non close contact for other patrons
The Ballarat, Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, 7pm-8.30pm; close contact
Super Liquor Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, 1pm-1.15pm; non close contact
Liquor King Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, 1pm-1.15pm; non close contact
Cardrona Hotel, Wanaka, Saturday, February 5, 12.24pm-1pm; non close contact
Armando’s Kitchen Italian Cafe, Cromwell, Saturday, February 5, 5.18pm-5.50pm; non close contact
NZone Skydiving, Queenstown, Saturday, February 5. 12.30pm-1.45pm
Skyline Gondola, Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, 3.30pm-5.45pm
The Sundeck Rooftop Bar, Queenstown, Saturday, February 5, 9pm-10pm; close contact
The Ballarat, Queenstown; Saturday, February 5, 10pm -midnight; close contact
BP 2go Cromwell, Saturday February 5, 12.15pm-12.30pm
The Bunker Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, 1.30am-2.30am; close contact
Flight NZ628 Queenstown to Auckland, Sunday, February 6, 8.30pm-10.10pm; close contact
Flight NZ614 Queenstown to Auckland, Sunday, February 6, 9,19am - 11.03am; close contact
Queenstown Airport, Frankton, Sunday, February 6, 8.45am -9.15am
The World Bar & Restaurant, Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, midnight-1.30am; close contact
Habana Boutique Rum Bar, Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, 2.30am-4am; close contact
Flight NZ614 Queenstown to Auckland, Sunday, February 6, 9.19am-11.03am; close contact
Vudu Cafe & Larder, Queenstown, Sunday, February 6, 12.34pm- 1.04pm; non close contact
Queenstown Airport, Frankton. Sunday, February 6, 7.13pm -8.30pm
Vudu Cafe & Larder, Queenstown, Monday, February 7, 3.08pm-3.30pm; non close contact
Cromwell Family Practice, McNulty Rd. Saturday, February 5, 12.15pm-1.15 pm; non close contact
Scroggin Coffee and Eatery, Wanaka, Sunday, February 6, 10.40am-11.10am; non close contact
Armando’s Kitchen Italian Cafe, Cromwell, Tuesday, February 8, 1pm-1.45pm; non close contact
Air NZ lounge, Queenstown, Tuesday, February 8, 7.14am- 9.45am; non close contact
Queenstown Airport Terminal, Tuesday, February 8, 7.08am and 10.30am; non close contact
For more information on what to do if you were at a location of interest at the times listed, visit the Ministry of Health locations of interest page.
