The Northern Territory's coronavirus outbreak has reached Darwin's Don Dale youth detention facility, with the NT government confirming 13 people inside had tested positive.
Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said nine young people and four staff members inside the facility were infected.
"I just want to assure people that we work very closely with [the Danila Dilba Aboriginal health service] there to make sure that those young people get the best possible care," she said.
"Like our NT government facilities, [Don Dale] has got a COVID-19 plan on how to manage it and they will be managed there to try and minimise the impact.
Ms Manison said it was likely case numbers would rise inside the facility.
"I think we have to be very realistic here, this is Omicron, and certainly the experience we have seen in other correctional facilities is that, despite best efforts and works of cohorting different people that are in those facilities, Omicron is highly contagious," she said.
"Most importantly, we'll be making sure that we give the right medical care and support to the people that are there."
Late last year, government data showed youth detainee numbers inside Don Dale had reached their highest level since the 2017 royal commission into youth detention.
Youth justice advocates said the increase was the result of controversial changes made by the Gunner Labor government last year, which made it harder for young people to get bail.
The Don Dale outbreak means COVID-19 has now entered all of the Northern Territory's major prisons and youth justice facilities.
In January, four cases were detected at the Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre, prompting a lockdown of the facility and calls for the early release of some detainees to prevent further spread of the virus.
As of last week, nearly half of the total prison population at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre had tested positive for COVID-19.
Darwin's prison first recorded coronavirus cases mid-January.
Reports of cases inside Don Dale come as NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed she had tested positive for coronavirus.
"My oldest son and I have both tested positive to COVID-19 over the weekend," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"The usual COVID symptoms of aches, fever, sore throat and a sniffle but all very mild.
"I'll be resting but also keeping in touch with [the] team remotely."
There are now 156 patients with COVID-19 in NT hospitals, two less than Sunday's total, with 29 patients requiring oxygen.
Three patients are in intensive care.
Ms Manison said the number of people on oxygen was "not surprising given we do know this is a serious virus".
"Our hospital system is able to manage those numbers and this is not surprising where we are at," she said.
She said the NT was currently going through its peak caseload for the current outbreak, and that increased hospitalisation numbers could be expected, "particularly with those people with underlying health conditions".
The Northern Territory government announced 886 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 55 added to Sunday's tally.
The number of active cases in the Northern Territory is about 7,370.
Ms Manison said 670 students and 176 staff members across the Northern Territory had tested positive for coronavirus in the first week of school term.
The number of student infections represents 2.7 per cent of the total student cohort.
She said 87 per cent of children aged between 12 and 15 had now received their first dose and 74 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Forty-four per cent of children aged five to 11 were now vaccinated, she said, and 38 per cent of eligible Territorians had received a booster shot.
"Get vaccinated, it is the best way to keep yourself safe, to keep your family safe and to make sure we move forward through this Omicron wave," she said.
The lock-in for the community of Lajamanu was set to lift on schedule at 5pm on Monday, the government said.
It means there will be no restrictions on movement for people in Lajamanu from 5pm.
