As of 27 May, 5097 doses of the COVID-19 vaccination have been given to Tairāwhiti people. 3231 are first doses and 1866 are second doses.
Vaccinating Tairāwhiti people who are in group one (people that work at the border, in managed isolation facilities and their household contacts) and group two (frontline workers and people living in high-risk places), is progressing well. We are close to meeting the targets in the plan Hauora Tairāwhiti submitted to the Ministry of Health.
Hauora Tairāwhiti has provided some early vaccinations to Group 3 members during May.
Most people in Tairāwhiti who are in Group 3 will be contacted by Hauora Tairāwhiti or their local health provider to book their COVID-19 vaccination in June and July. People in group three don’t need to do anything right now.
This is a large group. Group 3 includes people who are most at risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Including:
- Aged 65 and over
- Have a relevant underlying health condition (those eligible for a free publicly-funded flu vaccination. These conditions have been updated to include people with severe mental illness, people who have hypertension that is not well controlled with medication, and those who are severely obese. This list is available on the Ministry of Health and Unite Against COVID websites.
- Disabled
- Pregnant (any trimester)
- Live in a custodial setting, such as a prison
It is important to remember that there is an overlap in the vaccination of groups. It is not just a straight sequence. We have vaccinated a significant portion of group two but this will continue while we vaccinate group 3 over the next couple of months. We will not finish vaccinating Group 3 before we start vaccinating Group 4 in July. Vaccinating this group will continue until the end of the year.
What is the situation with vaccinators?
Currently, we have enough vaccinators but will need more. We have recruited approximately 30 vaccinators, many of whom are working part-time. COVID vaccinators in Tairāwhiti are drawn from Hauora Tairāwhiti, Tūranga Health and Ngāti Porou Hauora. There are also a number of people who are returning to work for this important event and others who are choosing to take a break from their usual work. We are continuing to recruit vaccinators as more will be needed for the roll out to group four. The interest of people to join the vaccination teams has been very positive.
Nurses' strike on June 9, will that any effect on the day?
No. Vaccinations will continue with staff who are not NZNO members.
The enthusiasm of people to be vaccinated and the very positive atmosphere generated as people come together to respond against the virus, has been an overwhelming feature of the campaign.
Teamwork between Ngāti Porou Hauora, Tūranga Health, Hauora Tairāwhiti, GP Practices, Aged Care, iwi and Whānau ora has been tremendous. Together the teams have made sure people are supported and the campaign is a success.
There is a long way to go. The year-long campaign is designed to deliver the vaccine to all the people eligible in Tairāwhiti. We can see that playing out with the joined up Tairāwhiti approach. We are prepared for everyone to come forward. We are protecting are families and communities, especially our vulnerable people.