Covid 19 Delta outbreak vaccination: Dunedin still Top Town, Hamilton closing in on Auckland

Dunedin is still leading the way on Covid-19 vaccinations.

The top five towns remain unchanged.

However, Auckland is only just clinging to its fifth place, with Hamilton close behind.

The latest data from the Ministry of Health shows, as of this morning, 72.2 per cent of eligible people in Dunedin were fully vaccinated compared to 69 per cent on Wednesday.

Marlborough is close behind on 70.9 per cent followed by Central Otago (69.2 per cent), Nelson (68 per cent) and Auckland (66.6 per cent).

Hamilton City has climbed a place since Wednesday and now sits just behind Auckland on 66 per cent.

The city and its surrounds were forced into a snap level 3 lockdown on October 3 after positive cases were detected there. Since then, the area's vaccination rate had risen sharply, according to public health officials.

It's the latest update in the New Zealand Herald Top Towns initiative as part of its vaccination campaign - The 90% Project - which aims to get 90 per cent of eligible Kiwis fully vaccinated by Christmas.

At the beginning of the Top Towns initiative two weeks ago, The City of Sails was sitting in 19th place with just 47 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated.

The only newcomer to the top 10 is South Wairarapa, which scraped its way into 10th place with 64.5 per cent of its eligible population vaccinated.

The biggest mover, however, is Hurunui, which climbed 17 places to join Horowhenua at 33rd equal.

The district, located 30 minutes north of Christchurch, now has 57.9 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated while another 22.6 per cent have had their first dose.

The latest data comes a day before Super Saturday which the Government hopes will bolster vaccination rates around the country.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today said she hoped to see 100,000 doses of the vaccine administered across the day.

Super Saturday will include a Vaxathon hosted by well-known Kiwis encouraging people to get vaccinated and broadcast on TV3, Māori Television and on Hahana's Facebook page, from midday to 8pm.

Pop-up vaccination centres will be set up around the country, many offering extended hours and incentives such as free ice cream, coffee, hot chicken, chocolate fish, sausage sizzles, live music and spot prizes.

Yesterday, director of public health Caroline McElnay said she expected case numbers to double in the next two weeks, but director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there was no need for alarm.

"I don't think we should be panicking. People should be following the alert level 3 rules, and they should be, if they haven't already, getting vaccinated because that is going to be - and has always been - our ticket to more freedom. The future has come forward - let's embrace it," he said this morning.

Where to get a vaccination in Auckland - without a booking

This map shows large vaccinations centres from the Unite again Covid-19 information page. For more detailed information about your neighbourhood visit Healthpoint.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the Herald the Government had been looking at how to revamp the way positive cases and Kiwis returning from overseas were managed but the need had now become immediate.

"We shouldn't underestimate the extent to which we're right at the tipping point of having to make some big decisions, based on a fundamentally different risk profile to the one we had a couple of months ago," Hipkins said.

That meant positive cases identified as being at low risk of spreading the virus could be told to quarantine at home from now on.

"We have to look at our MIQ settings. Are we isolating the right people?" Hipkins said.

"At the moment right across MIQ, including the international arrivals and close contacts of cases, the vast majority don't have Covid.

"When you're dealing with actual cases in the community, you want as many as possible to be safely isolated, so the whole risk assessment changes."

That means cases at a low risk of infecting others will isolate at home, while high-risk ones will be moved to MIQ.