Government looking into New Zealanders getting the Covid-19 vaccine at their workplace

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the move would help the Government reach a greater number of people quicker. Photo / Michael Craig

The Government is looking at administering the Covid-19 vaccine at people's workplaces in the same way they are given the annual flu jab at work.

This, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, would help the Government reach a greater number of people quicker.

Speaking to Q&A this morning, Hipkins said the flu system where many people are given the jab at work, has worked well in the past.

"We are going to look to use those same networks again with the Covid vaccine," he said.

"So if you already have people come to your workplace to do flu vaccines every year, if we can get them doing the Covid vaccine through the same mechanism, it will help us to reach people more quickly."

This comes as New Zealand prepares for the arrival of the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines this week.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Friday that frontline Covid-19 workers will get the vaccines first, starting on Saturday, February 20.

After those roughly 12,000 workers are vaccinated, their close family will be offered the jab.

Those most at risk of Covid-19 – people over 65 and people with underlying health conditions – are next in line, set to get the vaccine in the second quarter.

The full nationwide vaccination campaign will get underway in the second half of the year – Ardern said she expects it to finish before Christmas.

But before that, the Government will be rolling out a vaccine awareness campaign, to encourage people to be vaccinated.

Both Hipkins and Ardern said there are some people with "vaccine hesitancy" around the country.

He said one of the challenges with the rollout will be Māori not coming through to get the vaccine when it's available.

"We know that vaccine hesitancy is more likely to exist in our Māori and Pacific populations – that's the barrier that I'm most worried about," he told Q&A.

Hipkins added that the Government was working closely with iwi leaders to "overcome vaccine hesitancy".

Meanwhile, New Zealand's annual flu vaccine rollout will go ahead as it has in previous years, Hipkins confirmed this morning.

In fact, he said the Government has ordered a record amount of flu vaccines – but not enough for everyone in the country.

But he has hinted that this might not be enough this year.

"It's possible that we may have more demand than what we have ordered because more people are thinking: 'I will get the Covid vaccine and then I will get the flu vaccine and I will get the Covid vaccine as well,'" Hipkins said.