The Covid vaccination centre at Baypark in Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak
The Covid vaccination centre at Baypark in Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak
A_161021aw12.JPG Cars lined up to get vaccinated on Super Saturday. Photo / Andrew Warner 210922mwrosslawrensonbop.JPG University of Waikato professor of public health Ross Lawrenson. Photo / Supplied A_280921gn02bop.JPG The Covid vaccination centre at Baypark in Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak
More than $250,000 has been spent on incentives such as food and vouchers to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 by the Bay of Plenty and Lakes health boards.
A public health expert says vaccination incentives were "really important" in achieving high vaccination coverage and for what was achieved, the amount spent was not huge.
And as the country moves into the "new normal," he encourages people to think about the vulnerable in the community and mask up if visiting the elderly or immuno-compromised.
Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty and Te Whatu Ora Lakes, formerly the Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Boards, were asked how much they spent on giving free items to the public to encourage them to get vaccinated during the pandemic.
Information obtained under the Official Information Act showed Te Whatu Ora - Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, spent $177,918 on Covid-19 vaccination incentives between March 2020 and August 2022.
A breakdown showed it spent $30,860 on food and drink, $97,370 on vouchers and $49,688 on attractions.
This included the cost of incentives purchased for the Super Saturday initiative held on October 16, 2021, which was $48,424. This figure included operational expenses such as traffic management, security and language translation services.
Information obtained under the Official Information Act showed Te Whatu Ora Lakes spent $90,491.74 on Covid-19 vaccination incentives between March 2020 and June 2022.
A breakdown showed it spent $37,322.93 on gift cards and vouchers, and $53,168.81 on food and drink.
University of Waikato professor of public health Ross Lawrenson. Photo / Supplied
University of Waikato professor of public health Ross Lawrenson said incentives made it "more efficient" to get people vaccinated.
"I think if we were trying new ways of making sure that we got herd immunity, then it was really important to make sure we got the highest coverage that we could.
"When you think about all the salaries of the people chasing around and everything else, having incentives just makes it more efficient around getting hold of people and getting people to come in.
"In the scale of what was achieved, I don't think they [the figures] are huge."
Lawrenson said many health initiatives looked at making things more accessible and vaccination incentives were a "positive way" of attracting people in.
"If there are incentives to motivate people, then people will use those."
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty senior responsible officer immunisation and vaccination Brent Gilbert-De Rios said the collective efforts of the healthcare sector in the Bay of Plenty were "essential" in the protection against the worst impacts of Covid.
"This included working with communities to drive engagement and deliver the vaccination rollout in ways that met their specific needs," he said.
"Incentives were one method used to achieve our high vaccination rates."
Te Whatu Ora Lakes acting interim district director said the district surpassed the 90 per cent first and second vaccination milestone - more than 84,600 people - through a "huge collaborative effort" with iwi partners, primary health providers, social sector organisations and its staff.
Money was spent on Super Saturday, community clinics and food and drinks were provided as manaaki [support].
"The majority of people vaccinated to keep themselves, their whānau and their community protected. They significantly helped to reduce the likelihood of requiring help from the emergency department or risking hospitalisation."
Ministry of Health data showed there were 9606 new cases of Covid-19 reported nationally and 74 people who died with the virus between September 12 and 18.
In the Bay of Plenty region, there were 435 new cases and in the Lakes region, 175 new cases.
Of the deaths reported, six were from the Bay of Plenty. There were no deaths in the Lakes region.
In light of the figures and the Government removing the Covid traffic light system, Lawrenson said it was still important to think about vulnerable people who were most at risk and he recommended people wear a mask when visiting elderly or immuno-compromised people.
"It's still out there in the community and therefore the most vulnerable are still at risk and there will still be deaths, unfortunately.
