People mistakenly rejected from clinic

Mixed messages saw people turned away from getting their prebooked Covid-19 vaccines at one of Auckland’s largest vaccination clinics.

Some arriving for their jabs yesterday were told the centre had run out of doses. That, however, was not the case. Instead, because of a busier than expected turnout, a member of staff at the vaccination clinic, on Highbrook Drive in East Tamaki, was mistakenly turning people away.

One of those people was Robyn Caldwell, who, after driving more than 20km from Drury to get to her appointment for her first dose of the vaccine, was told she would not be getting a jab.

Pulling into the centre, she was stopped by someone working there who told her she and her husband had to turn around and rebook their appointments because there was no vaccine left. Caldwell said she saw other people being told the same thing.

But it turned out not to be true, something she only learned once she had returned home.

A Northern Regional Health Coordination Centre spokeswoman said they were ‘‘keen to reassure people that there is plenty of vaccine available’’.

Staff on site had been asked to be clear with that message, too, she said. The centre was especially busy because extra invitations had been sent out to older people.

The spokeswoman said she had contacted Caldwell to apologise and to organise vaccinations on another date.