Fran O'Sullivan: Five things the Govt needs to do as outbreak looms

Jacinda Ardern gets her booster shot - but many Kiwis aren't showing the same urgency. Photo / Michael Craig

OPINION:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered New Zealanders a prescient warning this week that "Omicron is coming".

Time to get that booster shot. Get the kids vaccinated. Lay down stores to cope with a period of working from home if businesses require that or in the event of infection.

It was a welcome relief from nanny state rule.

But there is more to do before the country is really ready for the Omicron surge.

First, the Government must step up and weaponise booster shots and set a target for the border "opening".

The Ministry of Health's Covid unit could usefully push eligible New Zealanders to get their booster shots.

It is not really astounding that booster uptakes are lagging. Most Kiwis have been enjoying soaking up the sun and having a welcome break from the pervasive focus on Covid.

There has been precious little from the Government during this time. And no set date for a border reopening to scare the laggards into action.

The uptake among those who are four months on from their second vaccination is woeful. Just over half have had their booster.

Given estimates that it takes two to four weeks after a booster shot to develop more protective antibodies, this leaves a major cohort seriously exposed if Omicron gets out into community transmission and we move back to Traffic Light Red.

The Ardern Government got off to a late start with the initial Covid vaccination programme. It was reluctant to set a target for vaccination numbers.

It was only after the Herald did that by launching its 90 per cent campaign that it followed suit.

The Government is wanting to entice New Zealanders to make a switch to greater self-reliance.

Are they texting all those who have yet to get their booster to remind them it is only a matter of time before Omicron is out?

Are GPs — finally — going to be encouraged to drive this response with their patients?

The Ministry of Health was shamefully slow to allow medical practices to carry out the first rounds of vaccinations. But now they and pharmacies can do this alongside the major vaccination centres.

Why not a booster-thon?

Second, get the children vaccinated before school starts.

It is difficult to understand why the Ministry of Health did not launch the vaccination programme for 5-12-year-olds in December.

We'd been told to expect an Omicron breakout in the near future.

More than 120,000 doses of the child (paediatric) Pfizer vaccine have been delivered to more than 500 vaccination sites around New Zealand.

Data is not entirely conclusive. But it would appear that while a rise in paediatric hospitalisations overseas appears to be driven mostly by a large spike in Omicron case numbers, children can suffer more serious health effects from this variant than Delta or the original Covid strain.

Third, issue Omicron combat kits to every New Zealand household.

The Government's Covid website has issued advice on how to prepare your household for Covid-19. It covers the basics well.

It will likely be too late to scout pharmacies for the necessary kit once you've caught the virus. By the stage you are affected, so too will be plenty of others and panic will have set in again. And as with toilet paper, there will be a run on necessary supplies.

Pharmacists suggest a useful kit would include N95 masks, a finger pulse oximeter monitor, thermometer, Panadol, throat sprays and various homeopathic remedies.

Some are selling them in packages.

But a forward-looking Ministry of Health would also have got an advertising campaign up by now and deputed those brilliant designers who dressed up the spunky yellow Covid ads to design kit boxes. Much like the bright orange earthquake survival kits you can buy off the shelves.

Asking around this week, it seems there is not a guaranteed free flow of supplies for all the necessary elements.

The ministry has let it be known that it will likely want to commandeer some supplies such as rapid antigen tests for health workers and essential workers to protect them in case of a major surge in Omicron cases. That seems fair enough.

What is not fair is that sensible New Zealanders have not been able to import rapid antigen tests themselves in the meantime.

Fourth, allow GPs to prescribe anti-virals to treat Omicron.

Serious travellers vaccinate against a range of nasties — yellow fever, hepatitis and take measures against malaria — when travelling to countries without a first-class health system. They also travel with a range of anti-virals, serious pain killers and broad-spectrum antibiotics.

No problem getting a prescription for them.

Importantly, anti-virals need to be used smartly in the early stages of infection.

In early December, Pharmac ordered 60,000 courses of two tablet medications to cope with Covid. Pharmac said they had not then determined who would be eligible to use them.

Its chief science adviser Ian Town said then, "if we can have a drug available to someone with a recent diagnosis of Covid-19 then we are able to perhaps slow the progression of the condition and prevent them needing more intensive medical care or even ending in hospital." The key question is, will GPs be able to prescribe these anti-virals to their patients in the same way they do for other virus infections?

If the health system is overloaded with cases, surely GPs are best to issue the drugs? Or will they be reserved for hospital use only?

Finally, what is the story on rapid antigen testing?

There is pressure worldwide on supplies.

Some business organisations have been told that the Ministry of Health has purchased all the remaining RAT stock held by particular pharma companies.

The Prime Minister has said they have "tens of millions" on order.

Her Government is focused on healthcare workers, essential services and critical infrastructure.

Businesses have been told to apply conservation strategies so their supplies last as long as possible in case supply becomes further constrained.

This adds more complexity for business leaders.

Businesses were prevented from directly importing the tests earlier on and the ministry has taken punitive moves to stop a saliva testing company spreading its wings.

If the message to citizens and businesses is to be prepared for the breakout, they need the tools.