Jordan Waihi, 6, got his first dose of the child vaccine, while his parents Myzpah and Reuben received their booster. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Jordan Waihi, 6, got his first dose of the child vaccine, while his parents Myzpah and Reuben received their booster. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
As booked booster shots and Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11 opened this week, Pacific Island Community Trust K'aute Pasifika adjusted its mobile vaccination clinic in Hamilton to an in-house service to cater especially for the young ones and their families.
K'aute Pasifika operations manager Reuben Waihi says parents wanting to vaccinate their children and get their booster at the same time are the trust's priority.
The first youngster to receive the jab on Monday was Reuben's son Jordan, 6. "He is a bit nervous, but my wife and I are getting our booster at the same time, so we hope that when he sees us doing it, he will be fine," Reuben says.
Jordan strongly disagreed about being nervous: "I'm feeling good." His mum Myzpah says they would talk to him a lot about Covid. "So he knew what it was for ... I wasn't gonna send him back to school unless he is vaccinated."
Reuben says he understands there is a lot of fear out there. "It's about protecting our children, our families. If [the vaccine] is good for us, it will be good for our children." Myzpah adds: "[Jordan] got vaccinated [against a lot of other diseases] once he was born, how is this different?"
She says the couple also had two older children living in the United States. "They had a lot of Covid scares recently. It's business as usual over there so they are around people with Covid. Our children are vaccinated and you can see that people who got it would be a lot worse off if they weren't vaccinated."
Jordan Waihi was the first child to receive the jab at K'aute Pasifika. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
After his vaccination, Jordan had another important appointment: showing off his flamingo plaster to his friends. Myzpah says: "We will go and get an icecream. One of his friends' mums works there."
There are 43,766 children in the Waikato eligible for their vaccine. The vaccine that children aged 5-11 years is a child-specific dose that is different to the adult version. It's only a third of the adult dose.
Reuben says vaccinating adults was different to vaccinating children. "You need a different approach with kids as it's harder to make them comfortable. They are more likely to be afraid of needles, so we need to be more sensitive."
This is why K'aute is exclusively vaccinating according to bookings, and allows for a maximum of only 14 kids a day. "We only do two appointments every 45 minutes to have more time for the children to get their jab, let them see the needle etc."
Myzpah Waihi with her son Jordan, 6, who shows off his flamingo plaster. Photo / K'aute Pasifika
He also says the 15-minute wait after receiving the jab can be a long one for children. "We have a child-friendly observation room with a TV and, because we can't have kids sharing toys due to contamination, every kid receives a little goodie bag with a toy like a fidget spinner or hacky sack to take home."
On Monday, about 30 children were booked to receive their vaccination and 14 parents were set to get their boosters at K'aute in the next two weeks.
There are health providers, hauora, pharmacies and general practices throughout the Waikato that offer children's vaccinations. For a full list go to the DHB Facebook page here.
Waikato DHB Covid-19 Directorate director Maree Munro says the DHB was encouraging all whānau to come and get their vaccination together.
"Whether it is your first, second or booster shot (if eligible), come and visit one of the clinics and meet our friendly teams. If you are not sure just come along for a chat. We have child-friendly spaces to make sure tamariki feel comfortable and have a good experience."
• To make a vaccination appointment for your child at K'aute Pasifika call 07 834 1659 or 0800 252 883. • To make an appointment at other vaccination clinics go to www.bookmyvaccine.nz.
