Covid-19 Coronavirus: The Base and Thames community vaccination centres close

The Te Awa Community Vaccination Clinic at The Base Shopping Centre in Hamilton and the Thames Community Vaccination Clinic in Goldfields Shopping Centre are set to close. Image / Supplied

Two major Waikato DHB vaccination clinics at Te Awa The Base and Thames are closing next week after running for more than a year and distributing more than 100,000 Covid-19 vaccinations combined.

The Thames Community Vaccination Clinic in Goldfields Shopping Centre closes on Wednesday, June 15 and the Te Awa Community Vaccination Clinic at The Base Shopping Centre in Hamilton closes the following day on Thursday, June 16.

The DHB is replacing the community vaccination clinics with mobile vaccination clinics throughout Waikato that will offer Covid-19 jabs to everyone aged 5+, as well as free flu and MMR immunisations for those eligible.

The Te Awa vaccination clinic, a shared project between the DHB and Waikato-Tainui, was the largest community vaccination clinic in the Waikato.

It opened on July 20 last year and has remained open seven days a week through most of the pandemic to date. During this time, Te Awa's vaccinators administered 82,400 Covid-19 and 696 flu vaccinations.

Waikato DHB Covid-19 and Immunisation Directorate executive lead Maree Munro says: "Waikato-Tainui were instrumental in getting us into Te Awa as it is owned by Tainui Group Holdings and Kiwi Properties and we were given special rental terms."

Its opening was attended by the Māori King, Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki along with Waikato DHB chief executive Dr Kevin Snee, who says that by partnering with organisations across the takiwā (region), the DHB's Covid-19 programme has been tailored to the unique needs of the community.

Snee says: "When Covid-19 first touched our shores last year, we were given a tongikura (quote of a monarch) from Kīngi Tūheitia that to protect the wellbeing of our people is paramount. This has been woven throughout our entire Covid-19 response and drives our vaccination programme."

Kiingi Tuheitia Waikato DHB chief executive Kevin Snee, representatives from the DHB Covid vaccination team, Waikato-Tainui, Tainui Group Holdings and Kiwi Properties at the opening of the clinic.

The Thames Community Vaccination Clinic, although smaller than Te Awa, has also played a key role in the pandemic response throughout the Hauraki and Coromandel area.

It opened a week later than Te Awa and has since administered 20,408 Covid-19 and 413 flu vaccinations.

The DHB worked alongside Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki, an iwi-based provider that delivers health services throughout Hauraki.

Te Korowai ran mobile clinics in some of the Hauraki rohe's (tribal territory) smaller and more remote locations, particularly targeted at vaccinating kaumātua. These clinics were a key part of Waikato DHB's focus on making sure the whole population had the opportunity to be vaccinated, wherever they lived.

Munro says: "Te Korowai's commitment to the programme and their willingness to work with us to shape it has been outstanding and we're pleased to have had their considerable experience to support the programme."

Meanwhile, the community vaccination clinic in Tokoroa will remain open as there is additional vaccination capacity needed to support primary care providers.

As flu and measles have become less present over the past two years and with Covid-19 in the community, immunisation rates have dropped from the levels reported in 2020, and national and local campaigns are under way to encourage people to get protected.

Influenza immunisations are free to those aged 65+, Māori and Pacific people 55+, adults with health conditions such as asthma and diabetes, children aged 4 years or under who have a history of significant respiratory illness, and pregnant women.

There is also an ongoing campaign to get teenagers and young adults fully immunised against measles as some have missed one or both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine.

For weekly information on all Waikato DHB mobile vaccination clinics click here.