The resort town was the first place in the South to show traces of the BA.2.75 variant, which is now making up an estimated quarter of all Covid cases nationally.
The latest Institute of Environmental Science and Research wastewater testing report shows that as well as BA.2.75, Queenstown is now also showing signs of having the BQ.1.1 (Cerberus) strain and also the XBB (Gryphon) variant in the community.
Combined, the three new variants are responsible for a third of Covid detections in Queenstown’s wastewater.
Viruses naturally mutate and new strains evolve to take over: the original Covid-19 strains were all but outbred by Omicron, and latest national figures suggest the newly emerging variants might now be accounting for almost half of all cases of the pandemic disease nationwide.
In Taupo the only strain now being detected in the water is Cerberus, while in Rotorua and Hutt Valley Gryphon makes up about half of all virus strains registered.
Officially reported cases of Covid in Queenstown have been steadily climbing in the past month, an increase which matches national trends but which may also be driven by the return of domestic and particularly international tourism.
Over the weekend the town was jam-packed with runners visiting for the Queenstown Marathon.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers said the event had been huge for the town, but such big crowds were also a reminder of the importance of public health messaging.
"We know it [Covid] is about ... it’s a way of life now, we are starting to learn to live with it and I think we have just got to continue on with that."
Mr Lewers said health officials had been in touch with him and other local body leaders last week to discuss Covid management and prevention.
"Trying to maintain mask use was our suggestion ... but we have to find that balance where everyone takes personal responsibility and if they are feeling sick or unwell they need to isolate or stay away from crowds."
Health officials in Queenstown have recognised the risk posed by the new Covid wave and are running a two-day immunisation drive at the Queenstown Events Centre tomorrow and Wednesday.
The latest regional Covid statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that there were 151 active cases in Queenstown-Lakes as at November 13, up from 113 the previous week and 104 the previous fortnight.
The rolling average of daily cases was 21.5, up from 16 the previous week.
Elsewhere in the South, about 100 people a day in Dunedin are contracting Covid-19.
There was actually a dip in officially reported active cases, from 833 to 750, but the rolling seven-day average of new cases was still 107, down from 119.
Elsewhere official numbers showed marked fluctuation, well up in some places but down in others.
Southland (up 40 to 136) and Waitaki (up 31 to 94) recorded big rises, and cases in Invercargill (up 22 to 277) and Clutha (up 20 to 94) were also on the rise.
Cases were steady in Gore (up one to 44) and dropped by 18 in Central Otago, to 75.
Health planners have long noted that officially reported case numbers are likely to be under actual rates of cases and in most southern centres wastewater results suggested that was the case.
Most locations reported a drop in Covid rates in this week’s ESR report, but the ministry warned last week that an increase in cases, hospital admissions and deaths was likely in weeks to come as New Zealand experienced a new peak of the third wave of Covid.
Te Whatu Ora Southern medical officer of health Michael Butchard said locals needed to heed the longstanding public health warnings to not visit hospitals if they had cold or flu symptoms, to stay home if they were symptomatic, and to keep up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations.
"Since October, we have seen a steady increase in Covid-19 cases in the community and as a result Dunedin and Southland Hospitals are seeing an increasing number of patients presenting with Covid-19," Dr Butchard said.
"The average number of positive tests per day from Dunedin and Southland Hospitals is currently around a third of what it was during the July 2022 peak."
As of last week, there were no closed hospital wards in the South and and no changes to hospital visitor policies.
Fresh threats to South
BQ.1.1 (Cerberus)
- Evidence of growth advantage compared to Omicron.
- Evidence of increased immune evasion.
- No evidence of a change in severity.
- Increasing in frequency overseas and appears to be more transmissible and immune evasive.
XBB (Gryphon)
- Evidence of a growth advantage compared to Omicron.
- Evidence of increased immune evasion.
- Insufficient data regarding severity.
- Fast challenging Omicron as main source of cases in Singapore.
Source: Ministry of Health
