Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: The message is to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate

A triumphant "hang loose" from vaccine recipient Phillip Martin and thumb's-up from registered nurse Christeve Le Geyt at Porangahau's Rongomaraeroa Marae on Saturday./ Photo / Paul Taylor

The "vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate" message has been stepped up even further as the Government tries to avoid having to tighten restrictions just as it takes the first steps in relaxing lockdown conditions.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at the Sunday afternoon Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown media conference: "If we need to tighten up our restrictions further, we will."

This was a clear message to the nation on a day when a further 83 new cases were added to the outbreak total, taking it to 511. It was an even stronger message to Hawke's Bay and other areas south of Auckland ahead of the toes-in-the-water relaxation to Level 3 conditions from 11.59pm on Tuesday.

There are still no positive cases in Hawke's Bay, nor elsewhere other than the Auckland area (496) and Wellington (15).

Just over half of the Hawke's Bay population aged over 12 have had the first of the two vaccinations, according to figures available on Friday, part of a nationwide total of over 2.1 million.

Further Hawke's Bay details are expected to be available tomorrow

ahead of the next stage of the nationwide roll-out which extends vaccination to all age groups from Wednesday.

One feature was that Hastings provider Totara Health, which started vaccinations three months ago, provided more than 1000 doses on Saturday across two sites in Nelson St, Hastings, and in Flaxmere – the most it has delivered in a single day.

"Well done to our awesome team members and thanks to everyone who came and got their vaccine to keep our community safe!! ", it said in Facebook post.

They were among the 77,965 vaccinations which director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said on Sunday had been done in the 24-hour period including Saturday.

Totara Health general manager and director Shane Gorst told Hawke's Bay Today that with a lot of effort being put into countering disinformation, people's "barriers" are coming down and the community is better appreciating the need to be vaccinated.

He said Totara Health "certainly saw a spike in demand as soon as the country went into lockdown", and people realised the new and greater threat posed by the Delta variant, which was first found in the community in New Zealand in Devonport three weeks ago, leading to lockdown on the night of August 17.

Totara Health opened up capacity to do more vaccinating, with marquees in its car parks. Gorst said that for whatever reasons the "good news" is that people are vaccinating.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little, who along with his wife has now had both vaccinations, said it would be "devastating" if restrictions had to be tightened rather than relaxed.

He confessed there are a lot of things the current Government has done that he doesn't agree with, but he can't find anything to fault it on the handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

"I think they've done a bloody good job, and we'd all be a lot worse-off if they hadn't," he said.

He said he "can't believe the crap" being promoted by the anti-vaccine sector and being read as fact, and he implores people to "listen to what the experts say", and to make sure that what they are reading comes from credible and recognised sources.

He said people have the choice to not vaccinate but if they did not they should isolate to help prevent the virus from spreading.

Vaccines can be booked online via the Book My Vaccine link or by phone on 0800 282926, and are being done at various sites, including GPs.

In Napier and Hastings this week there will be pop-up clinics at the Cook Island Community Centre in Swansea Rd, Flaxmere, from 10am to 7pm on Wednesday, and in Napier at King's House Church in Riverbend Rd, Maraenui, on Friday from 9am to 4pm.

In addition to the Pop-up clinics listed, vaccination appointments are available through Te Kupenga Hauora – Ahuriri, Napier (Mondays and Thursdays, bookings www.tkh.org.nz), Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Hastings (bookings MyVaccine.nz or www.ttoh.iwi.nz) and Kahungunu Executive Wairoa (Bookings through www.kahu-exec.co.nz)