Vaughan Smith from ZM is encouraging others to get vaccinated to protect those aorund them. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Vaughan Smith from ZM is encouraging others to get vaccinated to protect those aorund them. Photo / Jason Oxenham
"I'm bloody 10-foot-tall, bulletproof and healthy as a bull but I still need the vaccine."
ZM host and comedian Vaughan Smith can always find the light side of things but speaking to the Herald about Covid 19 vaccinations brought out the serious as well.
"I just don't want New Zealand to go the way of other countries who have had to learn through horrendous death tolls before accepting that vaccination was the best defence against Covid 19," he said.
Smith is among those supporting The 90% Project being run by the Herald in an effort to see 90 per cent of the country's eligible population vaccinated by Christmas.
"I've always been vaccinated against all manner of transmissible diseases. My parents had the foresight to see that I was injected against measles, mumps and rubella and, boy, I've just gone from strength to strength since," he said.
But when it comes down to it, it's his family he wants to protect and he trusts the public health officials to provide good advice around how to do that.
"My kids are under 12 so I want to do the best I can to protect them from it. It would be great to get something for the under 12s because 'I gotta feeling it's coming'," he sings.
"I've still got one grandmother, I'd quite like her to be around for a little bit longer - that's very selfish of me. I want to hit 40 with one grandparent left.
"Just other people really - the community."
Smith said getting the vaccination was quick, easy and no more painful than any other injection.
"I was actually genuinely surprised at the mood in there - not that I thought it was going to be sad but everybody was stoked almost. The people working there were really nice and there wasn't a lot of waiting."
To the Kiwis who had not yet been vaccinated, his message was simple.
"Do it. Just do it," he said.
"I would say don't be sitting back thinking, 'I'll be in the 10 per cent that won't be vaccinated and I'll be fine because everybody else did the hard lifting' because that's not what's going to happen. It just means that you're going to flood the hospitals.
"Don't be the unvaccinated. Don't be the foolish."
Where to get a vaccination in Auckland - without a booking
This map shows large vaccinations centres from the Unite again Covid-19 information page. For more detailed information about your neighbourhood visit Healthpoint.
Those who were genuinely worried about the effects of getting the vaccine needed to find someone to talk to about their concerns, he said.
"Talk to someone who's actually medically qualified too. Don't look for someone to back up your fear in online groups."
With the festive season fast approaching, Kiwis needed to get vaccination rates up quickly to be able to enjoy a summer without restrictions.
"I want to catch up with my family for Christmas because I am the only one of my mum and dad's children that's never missed a Christmas with them," Smith said.
"My brother lives overseas and my sister did her OE so I'm running at a 100 per cent success rate and favourite child because I've never missed a Christmas."
