Latest on Northland’s vaccine rollout
Public health nurses may stop people arriving for their Covid vaccination in Northland without appointments if the vaccinators are busy and to ensure there are enough vaccines for booked patients.
The clarity follows a decision by vaccinators at Whanga¯ rei’s Semenoff Stadium to stop walk-in patients at 3.30pm on Wednesday as Northland District Health Board staff became busy.
“We are still encouraging walkins for all clinics. The number of walk-ins we are able to take at each clinic may vary, depending on our vaccine stock,” Northland DHB chief executive Nick Chamberlain said. “We need to ensure that we have enough vaccine for everyone who is booked that day and may need to stop taking walk-ins if our public health team has been particularly busy.”
NDHB has lowered the eligibility age for Covid vaccinations and is inviting those aged over 50 and other vulnerable groups to receive their first dose and the next dose no less than three weeks later.
Since the Covid vaccination programme is running until December, NDHB is advising people not to rush. GP practices around Northland are experiencing a high number of calls from people wanting to know their National Health Index (NHI) number for their Covid vaccination. NDHB said people need not have their NHI number at vaccination clinics, although it was helpful. People should try other methods to find their NHI, such as a prescription or prescription receipt, medical box or bottle label, hospital letter, x-ray or test result, and checking your ManageMyHealth patient portal. They are being advised to call 0800 237829 between 9am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, and choose option 1 to make a booking.
Dr Chamberlain said 8020 doses have been administered so far in Northland, which was significantly higher than most other similar-sized DHBs.
He was reacting to figures from the Ministry of Health that showed Northland’s Covid-19 plan, running at 62 per cent, was the lowest in New Zealand, while the nation’s overall Covid vaccine rollout is 3 per cent ahead of schedule.
But Dr Chamberlain said the numbers and percentage of the population were much more relevant figures than any comparison with targets. “At this stage, Northland’s target is much higher than most other DHBs, which incorrectly indicates we are performing poorly when clearly the numbers tell a very different story.”
He said 7110 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, and 910 have completed their second dose.
Meanwhile, a Northland Ma¯ori health provider is going to vaccinate anyone who wants to be, even if they don’t meet the criteria. Te Hau Ora O¯ Nga¯puhi chief executive Te Ropu Poa told Morning Report it was hard to turn away people who wanted the vaccine, and if people were refused it would be hard to reach herd immunity.