Predictions of a new wave of Covid-19 infections and deaths are circulating in New Zealand.

Cook Islands is heading into its warmer cyclone season starting this month, amid concerns by a prominent epidemiologist who is warning of a summer wave of Covid-19 approaching New Zealand,.

Last week, University of Otago professor, Michael Baker told Sunday Morning that summer waves can still be very harmful regardless of the fact thatit is easier to reduce transmission in summer.

This comes at the back of a new highly transmissible subvariant XEC reported in New Zealand last month.

Because New Zealand is the Cook Islands’ main point of transit for most of its visitors from across the globe as well as New Zealand, this concern by the epidemiologist was put to Te Marae Ora (TMO) Ministry of Health asking whether Cook Islands is taking these concerns seriously.

Secretary of Health, Bob Williams is expected to respond to these queries after returning  from overseas yesterday.

In mid-October, TMO encouraged anyone with flu-like symptoms to practice good public health precautions after the XEC subvariant was detected in New Zealand.

Te Marae Ora confirmed at the time that there were no cases of this variant in the Cook Islands or at least that none had been recorded.

However, the ministry was wary, following the detection of this highly transmissible sub-variant in New Zealand and the increase in Covid cases there.

Secretary Williams, added that only flu-like cases have been presented at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the epidemiologist according to RNZ, said the bigger problem with such waves is not so much the subvariant being more harmful but because they infect a whole lot more people.

"The number of deaths might increase from, say, five a week up to maybe 30 or 35 per week. And we're going to get more cases of long Covid,” he said.

Baker added that people had become "very complacent”, and while the Covid-19 pandemic had officially ended in May 2023, there are still two waves - a winter and a summer one - that can cause a lot of harm.

"We all want this to go away. I mean, it's been very disruptive and we can't wish it away," he said.

Hence, Baker added that people should have access to booster shots despite that New Zealand doesn’t allow people under the age of 30 to get booster shots.

New Zealand’s summer period starts from December to February while Cook Islands’ summer is anticipated to have started this week Sunday with heavy showers and the temperature slightly increasing to 73°F. CINews/ RNZ Pacific