Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard
Question No. 5—COVID-19 Response
5. Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What recent announcements has he made on the roll-out of New Zealand’s vaccination programme?
Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): I’m happy to announce that 10,497 vaccinators have now worked through the Pfizer vaccinator training course. With 5,114 of those people having been active in the vaccinator workforce since February, the increasing size and scope of the roll-out is clearly benefiting from their expertise. A huge amount of work has gone into having the vaccinator workforce ready to peak at the right time. The Ministry of Health predicts that we’ll need at least 1,600 fulltime-equivalent vaccinators during the periods of highest demand in September and October. Because many of the roles are part-time roles, during this key period we’ll actually need more like 6,500 people active on the vaccination roster at any one time, and hitting over 10,000 ready means that we’re ready to hit that goal.
Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How has the introduction of kaiāwhina vaccinators strengthened the wider vaccine workforce?
Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We’ve seen a very strong response to our programme targeting kaiāwhina vaccinators—people already working in our health system in roles such as healthcare assistants. More than 250 people have signed up to be part of that, and 70 kaiāwhina trained vaccinators have already moved through that programme. Kaiāwhina have embraced the opportunity to learn how to vaccinate so that they can help to protect their communities. The programme is also helping us to boost the number of Māori and Pacific vaccinators, which will help to make sure everyone can feel comfortable when they access their shots.
Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: What recent announcements have been made on extending accessibility of the vaccine to more New Zealanders?
Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Following a strong uptake from the 60-plus and the 55-plus age groups, COVID-19 vaccination bookings are now open to all New Zealanders aged 50-plus, or will be open from Friday 13 August, which is earlier than planned. This brings an additional 319,000 people into the programme, and they can start to take up their vaccines from Friday. Being able to open another age band so quickly is a good confidence booster in the programme, and shows that New Zealanders are embracing the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How is uptake of Book My Vaccine progressing alongside the wider vaccination roll-out?
Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Contrary to some earlier predictions, the Book My Vaccine system has been very, very successful. The booking system continues to perform well, with a record 296,650 vaccinations booked in the last week alone. We now have over a million vaccinations booked in the system. In terms of delivery of the vaccines, as of midnight last night, 2,293,000-plus doses of the vaccine have been delivered.
