Vaccination centre opens in Tauranga
ACovid-19 vaccination centre for frontline healthcare workers has opened in Tauranga, with a former All Black captain among the first to receive the jab.
Stu Wilson, who had his heyday as a winger in the ‘70s and ‘80s, has talked about his personal journey in becoming an orderly, why he has chosen to be vaccinated, and the importance of that for him working in a hospital setting.
The centre, established by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, is catering to frontline healthcare workers in and around the city. It is on 1st Avenue, near the former Farmers building, and was opened on Monday 12th April.
Frontline healthcare workers who will be vaccinated at the centre include non-border staff potentially exposed to Covid-19 whilst providing care, those who may expose more vulnerable people to Covid-19, and those who work with at-risk people living in settings with a high risk of transmission or exposure.
An appointment system will be operating, and those being vaccinated will receive a specific date and time for their vaccination.
The announcement is part of the sequenced vaccination rollout, says BOPDHB Covid-19 Incident Controller Trevor Richardson.
“The Government has set out a sequence for the Covid-19 vaccination rollout,” he says. “This began with Group 1 - our border workers, MIQ workers and their whānau, as these workers are the first line of defence against Covid-19 crossing our borders. The vaccination of our frontline health workforce in Group 2 is now also underway and the new centre will play a key role in this part of the vaccination programme.”
The vaccination centre will be open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm until further notice. Further venues and information around vaccination delivery at them will be established as the rollout is continued.
Group 3 includes people who are at risk of getting very sick from Covid-19. This includes people who are 75 years or older, people who are 65 years to 74 years, then people with comorbidities aged under 65 years and people in custodial settings. This will start in late May.
Group 4 covers the remainder of the population aged 16 years and older. This will roll out in the second half of 2021.
Communications campaigns will be run to make sure people are aware of the changes to different group levels and the processes around receiving their vaccinations.
In the meantime, please continue with key health behaviours, using the QR code, washing your hands, staying home if sick, wearing face coverings on public transport, and turning on Bluetooth tracing.