Source: Radio New Zealand
Covid-19 booster vaccination rates are dropping. (File photo) AFP
The latest wave of Covid-19 is being driven by low vaccination rates, a health expert says.
Latest number show 50 hospitalisation and 19 deaths with the virus within the span of a week.
University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker said earlier this week, New Zealand was experiencing its ninth wave of the virus.
The chairperson of General Practice New Zealand, Dr Bryan Betty, told Morning Report, vaccination rates were dropping, with the number of people getting a booster hovering at 56 percent.
As Winter came closer, Betty believed we would see the Covid booster being promoted alongside the annual flu vaccination.
“I think lining it up with it [the flu vaccine], does make sense.”
He said he would like to see people getting a Covid booster once a year, especially if they were aged over 65, or over 50 if of Māori descent.
Betty noted Covid-19 was not seasonal and affected people year round.
Covid-19 is not seasonal. (File photo) 123rf.com
“Covid is always with us, it never goes away. When immunity drops we see a wave. Due to low immunisation rates that wave is occurring at the moment.”
Betty said 56 percent of the eligible population had the Covid-19 booster while 14 percent of non-Māori and 28 percent of Māori were not vaccinated at all.
“The booster vaccination is important to protect yourself against these very irregular waves of Covid that can occur,” Betty said.
Health NZ’s national director of public health service Dr Nick Chamberlain, said while Covid hospitalisations and cases had increased in recent weeks, levels remained below previous peaks.
“Since the arrival of Covid in our communities, we have been seeing both summer and winter Covid-19 increases, but from the available data, recent increases are currently not near the magnitude of 2022-2024 rates of Covid-19 illness.”
Chamberlain said since fewer people were testing and reporting results, most cases were identified in hospitals. He said there was no single dominant variant driving the increase.
Health NZ was monitoring Covid-19 trends through wastewater testing, hospital data, genomic sequencing and case reporting, he said.
“As we head into winter, we encourage people, particularly those at higher risk, to get your flu vaccination and stay up to date with their Covid‑19 boosters.”
Betty said lots of patients weren’t testing due to the fact tests were not subsidised by the government.
“Our advice is to stay home in those situations.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
