Covid 19 Delta outbreak: South Island DHBs almost at 80 per cent full vaccination

South Island district health boards are closing in on 90 per cent full vaccination which will mark the move to the new traffic light Covid-19 system. Photo / George Heard

South Island district health boards are closing in on 90 per cent full vaccination which will mark the move to the new traffic light Covid-19 system.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows as of Thursday, Southern DHB was leading the charge with 79.3 per cent, followed by Nelson Marlborough with 77.2 per cent, Canterbury with 76.7 per cent and South Canterbury with 76.4 per cent.

The West Coast was lagging slightly behind with 69.1 per cent.

The Southern and Canterbury DHBs have both surpassed 90 per cent with a first dose, which should mean they will reach the full vaccination target in a few weeks.

A total of 1351 more people in South Canterbury, 2055 in the West Coast, and 3418 in Nelson Marlborough need to get a jab to reach 90 per cent with one dose.

In comparison, Auckland DHB has the highest double-dose rate in the country with 86 per cent.

The new traffic light system will kick into gear once DHB's reach vaccination targets of 90 per cent.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the settings would be reviewed on November 29, and the South Island could move into the new system if all those DHBs had already met the target.

There are three stages to the system, but all three allow relatively high rates of freedom compared to the current alert level system. However, they will also require the use of vaccine certificates for nearly everything apart from essential retail and services, like supermarkets and GPs.

There are incentives for businesses, too: businesses that choose to use vaccine certificates will be able to operate at all alert levels, while those who choose not to will face harsh lockdown-style measures and could be cut off from business support.