Jab rush on this weekend
Booster jabs equivalent to the number of people who call Palmerston North home have gone into the arms of Kiwis since Friday afternoon, figures released last night showed.
The Big Boost began this week, and continues in a special push this weekend, to get as many eligible Kiwis fully protected from Covid-19’s highly infectious Omicron variant before the huge numbers of positive cases expected in coming weeks.
As of 6pm last night 84,454 doses had been given since 3pm Friday under the public health initiative, just a few thousand below the number of people living in the territorial authority of Palmerston North City.
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield challenged more Kiwis to join the ranks of the boosted.
“It’d be great to crack some days up in the 80s, 90s, even crack 100,000, we can do that.”
The jab rush came as the daily number of new Covid -19 cases in the community again reached a new high — 454, with 27 people in hospital. None were in ICU.
The seven-day rolling average of community cases is 275, with the same average for border cases 28. Eight cases were identified at the border yesterday.
There are cases in Northland (12), Auckland (294), Waikato (72), Bay of Plenty (23), Lakes (8), Hawke’s Bay (7), MidCentral (5), Taranaki (1), Wellington (5), Hutt Valley (12), Wairarapa (2) and Southern (13).
A case of Covid-19 was confirmed in South Canterbury, taking to two the number of active cases in the area, the Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday. Further south, all firefighters from Winton’s Volunteer Fire Brigade are in isolation after one tested positive. Southland Fire and Emergency New Zealand reassured the public neighbouring brigades would provide cover.
Among new locations of interest last night was a flight from Rarotonga to Auckland. Flight NZ945 arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday February 8 and is considered high risk.
The eligible population of Tairā whiti aged over 12 is now 90 per cent fully vaccinated — the 18th DHB area to do so — while the Mā ori population reached 90 per cent for first doses. Nationally, 95 per cent of people aged over 12 are double dosed, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.