PM Jacinda Ardern reveals how Kiwis will be able to book their Covid vaccinations through a national system ahead of the general public rollout. Video / NZ Herald
OPINION:
Who will get vaccinated and when will be the main focus of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's announcement today.
But a lot hinges on how she delivers the message, which will set expectations and play a major role in whether Kiwis see the rollout as a success or a shambles.
It won't be first-in first-served for the general population from the end of July. It will remain DHB-driven, but generally Kiwis less likely to be hit hard by the virus will be asked to wait while the more vulnerable get vaccinated before them.
That will likely mean - as happens in Australia and the UK - older people lining up first, and priority given to age cohorts from older to younger for the rest of the year.
Māori and Pasifika should also be prioritised, given they are more likely to react more severely if they catch the virus. The younger and more Pākehā you are, the longer you'll be asked to wait.
People will be able to use the online booking system from the end of July to give them a sense of surety. But there will also be mass vaccination events where, regardless of your age or ethnicity, you'll be able to walk in and get protected.
It's a fine balance to give the right information to keep expectations in check, frustrations from boiling over, and vaccination centres from being rushed on and overwhelmed.
Today Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is announcing how the rollout for Group 4 will play out. Photo / Mark Mitchell
So far, the rollout has been described as a shambles - perhaps unfairly because there were always going to be hiccups, and it remains ahead of schedule.
The public thought Group 1 and Group 2 would be finished smartly, and people in Group 3 expected to be able to walk up and get vaccinated from May. It was never going to play out that way, given there are 1.7 million people in Group 3 and only about 1 million doses up to the end of June.
Meanwhile GPs cried out for guidance about their role, some vaccination centres are booked out as far as August, large proportions of Group 1 and 2 remain unvaccinated, and young adults have been jabbed while older people with co-morbidities are told to wait for weeks.
None of that has really gone against Government expectations, but it's a hard sell to say GPs will be told their role when it's worked out, some in Group 3 will get vaccinated before some in Group 1, and the priority guidelines will play out according to DHBs - meaning a postcode lottery.
It's also a hard sell to say - in anticipation of a "slow rollout" perception - that the decision to go with Pfizer means the speed of the rollout is hugely dependent on when shipments arrive.
Shipments beyond July are yet to be confirmed, so the Government has little option but to have faith that eight million more doses will arrive before the end of the year, and try to manage supply, demand and uptake accordingly.
If the shipments do arrive - and we have no reason to believe they won't - DHBs will be less constrained in terms of supply, and less likely to have to scale back or turn people away.
There are of course matters that are outside the Government's control.
But with the right messaging, the Team of Five Million will line up willingly according to how vulnerable they are.
They will have clarity about what to expect, why the cohorts are as they are, when they're likely to get vaccinated, and how it will work in terms of booking an appointment.
When all is done and dusted, whoever wants to get vaccinated will be vaccinated by the end of the year with a minimum of frustration or unmet expectations.
