The Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine rollout began in Waikato yesterday and today. Photo / Ministry of Health
The Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine rollout began in Waikato yesterday and today. Photo / Ministry of Health
The first Covid-19 vaccinations were given in Waikato yesterday February 25, and this afternoon the process started in Hamilton to immunise the workforce onsite at the region's managed isolation facilities.
First up on Thursday were the vaccinators themselves with the first to receive the vaccine being public health nurse Dawn Tamati, the Waikato DHB said.
At a dedicated Covid-19 vaccination centre in Hamilton on Thursday afternoon, 28 people received the first of their two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Tamati says it's an important first step in the fight against Covid-19 and protecting the community from the virus.
"I feel quite privileged to be the first one to get the vaccine. I truly believe in immunisations, they're so important and I feel like I'm doing my part. Immunisations are about keeping our whānau, our hapu, our iwi and our communities well, and I feel like I'm doing that today."
Leanne Smith administered the first injection and says it was "quite an honour".
"It's been such a wait for something that we've all wanted and to actually start vaccinating is exciting.
"I felt humbled to be asked to be the first in Waikato to give the vaccine."
She says the arrival of the vaccine is a significant milestone for the country and the region.
"We're making history and it is something our whānau will talk about for many, many generations."
From Friday, the vaccinators began immunising the workforce onsite at the region's managed isolation facilities.
The Distinction Hotel and the Ibis in Hamilton are isolation centres as well as the Jet Park hotel at Hamilton Airport.
The Distinction Hotel in Hamilton is one of the managed isolation centres in the region. Photo / Belinda Feek
The first stage of the vaccine rollout includes border workers and the managed isolation and quarantine workforce, and their household contacts.
Ikimoke Tamaki-Takarei manages cultural intervention for the region's managed isolation facilities and also received his first dose on Thursday.
He says it's critical for border workers to be the first line of protection for the communities and vulnerable populations.
"As part of border control for Covid-19, it's our responsibility to keep our families safe. We go home to our families every night. I return home to my new mokopuna, so it's my responsibility to keep her safe, to keep my children safe, and my immediate family safe.
"A lot of our vulnerable whānau and our kaumatua suffer from some sort of respiratory illness, so we have to be able to protect them by getting a vaccine."
Household contacts of managed isolation workers will receive their immunisations by appointment at the dedicated vaccination centre.
