Covid-19 vaccinations off to good start
More than 1400 people received Covid-19 vaccinations at the Civic Theatre in Invercargill during the first week the clinic was open.
Southern District Health Board Covid19 vaccine rollout incident controller Hamish Brown said 1450 vaccinations were administered in the clinic last week, bringing the total vaccinations in Invercargill to 3672.
The clinic would remain open for about a year, with the aim to vaccinate at least 360 people a day.
It had been an excellent start to the DHBs vaccination programme in Southland, Brown said.
‘‘Invercargill is currently around 300 vaccinations ahead of our ministry [of health] targets, and we want to thank everyone who has contributed to this outstanding effort and fantastic response from the eligible populations in this area.’’
Those people who received the vaccinations included border workers and their household contacts, front-line health workers, first responders, aged residential care facility staff and residents.
Brown said they were reaching out to people who were less easily able to attend a clinic, including those in aged residential care facilities, mental health residential facilities, disability residential support services and older Ma¯ ori being cared for by wha¯ nau.
In May, the focus will turn to vaccinating people aged over 65 and people with health conditions.
He asked the general public not to attempt to book in for a vaccine at this stage, as the focus was on the priority populations.
The rest of the general population would be vaccinated from around July.