The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is giving a live update on the current Omicron response in New Zealand.

He is joined by Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town from 1pm.

Bloomfield says there are 21,616 new cases today, with 960 people in hospital.

"There are 22 people in ICU or HDU."

Tune into the livestream above for more.

Today's new cases is an increase of the 15,540 cases announced on Monday.

"We know the Omicron variant can cause serious illness and death either directly or by its impact on other health conditions, particularly for our older and more vulnerable New Zealanders," says an MOH spokesperson.

"The importance of getting boosted cannot be under-estimated."

Read here for more about yesterday's numbers.