Jab trainers pledge safety

The Ministry of Health has contracted a third party to train our Covid-19 vaccinators.

The Immunisation Advisory Centre (Imac), a nationwide organisation based out of the University of Auckland, has been contracted by the ministry to train staff in how to administer the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine.

Imac told Stuff the training is thorough to ensure vaccinators are ‘‘highly skilled and well-educated’’.

Vaccinator education has been called into question after an Australian doctor who had not received the required training overdosed two elderly patients in Queensland.

Jane Morphet, Imac’s clinical education manager, said trained healthcare professionals safeguard against overdosing by working in groups.

This ensures vaccinators can ‘‘provide a second check on things’’, such as drawing up doses, which will reduce the risk of similar incidents.

In the ‘‘unlikely event’’ of an overdose, there is a formal process for reporting errors which includes a follow-up, clinical support and a full evaluation or investigation, she said.

Training for the first cohort of vaccinators administering the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine is carried out via online learning and webinars.

Morphet said this includes detailed information specific to this vaccine, vaccination process information, documents and record-keeping.

‘‘Imac also covers responding to common concerns and where staff can go to access further support and clinical advice,’’ she said. ‘‘This is followed by the option of webinar support with options to ask further questions and a clinical support line for vaccinators. We will also include some face-to-face options and onthe-ground support as the immunisation rollout continues and new vaccines are added.’’

Robert and Joan McFarlane, from the Auckland suburb of South Head, are high priorities on the vaccine list because of their age.

Both have said that they’re aware of the Australian incident and are ‘‘not worried at all’’ about the competency of the New Zealand vaccinators, as they have been ‘‘led to believe that all vaccinators here will be well-trained’’.

Joan McFarlane, who is 81, said that she hoped all vaccinators would have a medical background. She said dosing should not really be an issue, because of the specially imported syringes secured by New Zealand.

Robert McFarlane, 82, said the benefits of the jab far outweighed the negatives. He was already used to going to the pharmacy for his flu shot.

The first batch of Covid-19 vaccines were administered last week, to 25 health professionals at an Auckland quarantine facility.

Dosing should not be an issue, because of the specially imported syringes. Joan McFarlane, 81