Disparity in vaccination rates
Estimated about 75 per cent of the DHB workforce in New Zealand is fully vaccinated
Mandatory vaccination for the health workforce is being considered as a significant disparity in DHBs’ staff vaccination levels is revealed.
In data released yesterday, close to 90 per cent of all staff at several DHBs are fully vaccinated. Auckland and Waitemata¯ DHBs have achieved the highest levels nationwide with 89 and 88 per cent respectively.
Counties Manukau DHB, which is at the centre of the current Delta outbreak, has seen 87 per cent of its staff fully vaccinated.
However, less than half of West Coast DHB staff (49 per cent) have had both Covid-19 vaccine doses.
Bay of Plenty and Canterbury DHBs are also trailing with 61 and 65 per cent of their staff fully vaccinated respectively.
While 90 per cent of Taira¯whiti DHB staff are stated as having had both doses, this is only an estimate and will be confirmed later in the month.
Both Southern and South Canterbury are basing their figures on surveys from a percentage of their staff.
Overall, it’s estimated about 75 per cent of the roughly 80,000-strong DHB workforce is fully vaccinated.
DHB spokeswoman Rosemary Clements said many staff vaccination figures would be underestimated due to privacy requirements.
“Some DHBs who started this consent process later than others may have slightly lower figures recorded than those who began the process earlier, however all DHBs are confident
of high levels of vaccination in their workforces.”
It comes as officials are consulting with stakeholders on how mandatory vaccination might be rolled out to the health workforce.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he had asked the Ministry of Health to consult with key stakeholders on a proposal to require the majority of healthcare workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
This would apply to staff working in roles with a “Covid-19 pathway”, that included emergency departments, those in primary care and working with vulnerable patients, residential care facilities, critical support services including medical laboratories and catering facilities, and private and community care services.
Consultation included with health unions, professional associations, the Office of Disability Issues, and the Privacy Commissioner. It would be in line with requirements in place for MIQ staff, he said.
“We do need to ensure that the workers most likely to come into contact with Covid-19 are as protected as possible.”
Other countries had required health care workers to be vaccinated, including Australia, the United States, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom,
France, Italy, Greece and Fiji.
In June, national guidance was published which dictated all DHBs needed to have access to the vaccination data of staff in Covid-19 workstreams by August 31.
Yesterday’s data referenced all staff but did not specify the vaccination levels of staff in Covid-19 workstreams.
However, Clements said DHBs were confident of “very high levels” of vaccination in such workstreams, given the high numbers of DHB staff known to be vaccinated.
“Vaccination is an important measure to keep staff and patients safe, along with the other infection prevention control measures used stringently throughout the pandemic, such as use of full PPE gear. ”