Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Thousands of DHB workers yet to receive first vaccine dose

By Rowan Quinn of RNZ

About 4000 district health board workers have not yet been vaccinated, just a few days before the no jab no job deadline.

By Tuesday, all DHB staff must have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine or they will be stood down unless they have a medical exemption.

DHBs said 95 per cent of the roughly 80,000 people who work for them across the country had had at least one shot.

But that meant there were still thousands unvaccinated in an already stretched workforce.

They included both clinical and non clinical staff.

DHB spokeswoman Rosemary Clements said they were talking with those not yet vaccinated.

They expected people would keep getting a shot throughout the week, she said.

The lowest vaccination rates were in the Bay of Plenty and the West Coast. Photo / Supplied, File

Because there was such a high rate of vaccination, patient care would not suffer and DHBs would manage any gaps caused by people being stood down, she said.

But some in the workforce worried there would be an impact in areas where they were already short-staffed.

The lowest vaccination rates were in the Bay of Plenty and the West Coast at 93 per cent.

The highest were in South Canterbury and the three Auckland DHBs at 98 per cent.

Waitematā DHB had the most double-vaxxed workforce at 96 per cent, with Auckland, Counties Manukau and Lakes just behind on 95 per cent.