Aotearoa has received the first batch of a Covid-19 vaccine and has prepared roll-out plans for three different scenarios, depending on the level of community transmission.
If there is no/low community transmission, border and managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) workers will be vaccinated first. This is to reduce the risk of them getting Covid-19 and the roll out should be completed by the end of March.
Healthcare and essential workers, including Te Piki Oranga kaimahi, and those most at risk of severe illness will then be vaccinated in the second quarter of the year (from April to June). The general public vaccinations are expected to begin in the second half of 2021 (July onwards).
If there is widespread community transmission, those most at risk of severe illness—including older people, and Māori and Pasifika—will receive priority access to the vaccination.
This will be the largest immunisation programme our country has ever undertaken and a lot of work is going on behind the scenes with the Ministry of Health leading the roll out.
Te Piki Oranga’s Covid Response Manager Sarah Lee was employed last year to coordinate Te Piki Oranga’s response and coordinates Covid-19 recovery activity across Te Tauihu.
To make sure the correct information is in the community and online, she has prepared answers to some frequently asked questions about the Covid-19 vaccines to help you and your whānau make an informed decision when the vaccine becomes available. More information on the general vaccine roll out is due from the Coivd-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday 10 March.
Click here for more general information about Covid-19 and if you have any further questions about Covid-19 vaccines, please contact your local public health organisation (PHO).
