Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall with a Covid booklet during a media briefing with the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Photo / NZME
Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall with a Covid booklet during a media briefing with the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Photo / NZME
Public health nurses may stop people arriving for their Covid vaccination in Northland without appointments if the vaccinators are busy and to ensure there are enough vaccines for booked patients.
The clarity follows a decision by vaccinators at Whangārei's Semenoff Stadium to stop walk-in patients at 3.30pm on Wednesday
as Northland District Health Board staff became busy.
"We are still encouraging walk-ins for all clinics. The number of walk-ins we are able to take at each clinic may vary, depending on our vaccine stock," Northland DHB chief executive Nick Chamberlain said.
"We need to ensure that we have enough vaccine for everyone who is booked that day and may need to stop taking walk-ins if our Public Health Team has been particularly busy."
He said 881 vaccinations were given throughout Northland on Wednesday — six less than the 887 on Tuesday.
NDHB has lowered the eligibility age for Covid vaccinations and is inviting those aged over 50 and other vulnerable groups to receive their first dose and the next dose no less than three weeks later.
Since the Covid vaccination programme is running until December, NDHB is advising people not to rush.
GP practices around Northland are experiencing a high number of calls from people wanting to know their National Health Index (NHI) number for their Covid vaccination.
NDHB said people need not have their NHI number at vaccination clinics, although it was helpful.
People should try other methods to find their NHI, such as a prescription or prescription receipt, medical box or bottle label, hospital letter, x-ray or test result, and checking your ManageMyHealth patient portal.
More than 1600 Northlanders over 50 have received their Covid vaccinations on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Photo / NZME
They are being advised to call 0800 237829 between 9am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, and choose option 1 to make a booking.
"If you don't get through, please call again later as we are experiencing a high volume of calls."
Dr Chamberlain said people who have booked were being prioritised and that they should notify public health staff when they arrived at the clinic so they could be prioritised in the queue.
He said 8020 doses have been administered so far in Northland, which was significantly higher than most other similar-sized DHBs.
He was reacting to figures from the Ministry of Health that showed Northland's Covid-19 plan, running at 62 per cent, was the lowest in New Zealand, while the nation's overall Covid vaccine rollout is three per cent ahead of schedule.
But Dr Chamberlain said the numbers and percentage of the population were much more relevant figures than any comparison with targets.
"At this stage, Northland's target is much higher than most other DHBs, which incorrectly indicates we are performing poorly when clearly the numbers tell a very different story."
He said 7110 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, and 910 have completed their second dose.
Meanwhile, a Northland Māori health provider is going to vaccinate anyone who wants to be protected against Covid-19, even if they don't meet the criteria.
Te Hau Ora Ō Ngāpuhi chief executive Te Ropu Poa said it was hard to turn away people who wanted the vaccine, and if people were refused it would be hard to reach herd immunity.
"People are asking more questions: which group they fit in ... when is going to happen and where. And then there's the frustration that those who do want to be vaccinated, it's not their turn," she told Morning Report.
