MEDIA RELEASE: Waikato DHB

Waikato now has a first dose COVID-19 vaccination rate of 90% of the eligible population.  

“Thank you, Waikato, to each and every one of you that has had your vaccination so far,” says Waikato COVID-19 programme lead Maree Munro.  

The region reached the vaccination milestone late this afternoon (Sunday 21 November), with 321,464 people now having had their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 290,419 their second. The Waikato Pacific population have also achieved 90% first dose today with 9614 for first dose and 8411(78.7%) their second.  

Munro said with summer coming, people want to make sure they can get out and about.  

“Once we move into the new system, you won’t be able to do a lot of the things you love unless you are fully vaccinated,” she says.   

“That’s a big incentive for people to get cracking. The Delta outbreak in Waikato has also been a reminder that COVID-19 can spread far and fast and hits the unvaccinated hardest.”  

The national traffic light system will give businesses and organisations the option of either asking customers to show proof of vaccination or operating with restrictions like those in the current alert level system.  

In some higher risk settings, vaccine passes will be mandatory for a business or service to open.  

Munro says hitting the milestone is a great effort, achieved through the hard work of DHB staff, kaupapa Māori and Pacific and other primary healthcare providers, and support from community groups, business and community leaders to promote vaccinations.  

“The job’s not done yet for our team Waikato though. We need to reach that 90% fully vaccinated rate.  

“We also need to look at who has been vaccinated. When we break down the data into age or ethnicity groups we are not there yet. We have a large and vulnerable Māori population who are 7265 (79.5%) short of reaching the 90% first dose target. Although we have vaccinated over 95% of our Māori and Pacific kaumatua who are 65+ years we need to reach the younger generation to achieve 90% first doses for Māori and then for full vaccination so everyone in our community has a high level of protection.”  

 “People need to make sure they have both doses to be fully protected. You only need to wait three weeks after your first dose before you can get your second dose.”