Editorial: New milestone reached as Auckland pushes forward

Manurewa Marae has held and leads a number of vaccination drives. Photo / Michael Craig

EDITORIAL
In the trench warfare of the coronavirus pandemic, New Zealand should celebrate battle victories when it gets them.

Auckland and the country are getting a couple of significant milestones in the Delta outbreak.

In Auckland, the Counties-Manukau DHB region on Sunday night became the third and last health area covering the city to reach a target of 90 per cent first doses administered to people aged 12 and older. Its second-dose level is 80 per cent.

Auckland DHB is close to 90 per cent fully vaccinated, with 95 per cent of first doses delivered and 87 per cent of second jabs. For Waitemata, those figures are 92 and 83 per cent.

In Sunday's data, the eligible but unvaccinated made up 40 per cent of new Covid-19 cases and 75 per cent of new hospitalisations compared to 16 and 25 per cent for the fully vaccinated.

"We are an important step closer to Auckland transitioning to the new traffic light system which means restrictions will ease once each DHB is 90 per cent second dose," Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.

That dose mark could be reached as early as the end of the month - three weeks from now when the most recently vaccinated people are due to get their second shots.

Yesterday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern signalled that Auckland would likely move to the new system even if it is a fraction short of 90 per cent fully vaccinated after the Cabinet reviews progress on November 29.

"Everyone wants restrictions eased as soon as possible. We need to keep going and get those final second doses so we can ease restrictions with high rates of vaccination and high levels of confidence," Hipkins said on Sunday.

With the traffic lights likely to appear in December, there will be increased interest in the practicalities of the system. There is a lot of detail people will need to know.

That's especially the case with how the vaccine passes will work. Will there be teething problems? How easily will people and businesses adjust to using them? People will have to get used to differences when out in public depending on where the certificates are used or not.

With vaccination rates slower in most areas of the country, Auckland will most likely get to grips with it first. Ardern said six DHBs have hit 90 per cent first doses mark.

There's an approaching deadline to get it right. As yet there is no reopening date for the Auckland border.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said case numbers had to stay as low as possible before the expected shift.

"I think we are in the world of trade-offs now, where we are looking to have greater freedoms particularly for people in Auckland, but inevitably it will result in accelerating the outbreak.

"If we hit December with high transmission rates it might put more pressure on that move."

In another milestone, the significant goal of 90 per cent of the eligible population nationwide getting a first dose is being knocked off.

It was sitting at 89 per cent, according to Ministry of Health data. And the second part of that achievement is getting closer - 78 per cent of those able to get a dose are fully vaccinated.

The vaccination figures look less impressive as a percentage of the overall population with 75 per cent of Kiwis having had one dose and 66 per cent two. But it is similar to the levels of vaccination in the UK (74 and 67 per cent) and France (76 and 68 per cent), according to ourworldindata.org.

It's important to tick off these big picture developments even as underlying details are studied and questioned.

It bolsters confidence that we can make progress and reach the goals we have to.