Dunedin and Queenstown pass 90% vax rate

Queenstown and Dunedin have both hit 90% vaccination rates for first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Southern District Health Board says.

• Southerners answer call

After the Super Saturday vaccination drive at the weekend the SDHB said more than 86% of the Southern region’s population over age 12 was vaccinated.

People queue for the vaccine bus in the Octagon in Dunedin. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

Southern Covid-19 vaccination programme lead Hamish Brown said around the region only 11,000 people needed to get their first dose for the whole DHB area to pass the 90% target.

"We were really pleased with the turnout and the atmosphere was incredible, with the public coming together as a community to get protected against Covid-19.He thanked the healthcare teams across the district who worked to support the national day of vaccination, and to the councils, volunteer groups and businesses who offered their assistance.

"This was a significant step towards our goal of reaching at least 90% vaccinated by Christmas," Mr Brown said.

There were still more than 110 providers across the district operating weekly schedules, or undertaking workplace vaccinations, and there were outreach teams going into smaller communities to continue the progress towards a 90% vaccination rate, he said.

Planning was well under way with Gore Mayor Tracy Hicks and Southland Mayor Gary Tong for a "farmgate tour" of the deep south in early November, visiting an estimated 20 to 25 small communities to boost vaccination rates.

Mr Brown said that while the current goal was at least 90% of the population vaccinated by Christmas, the more people who were vaccinated, the better.

After 9706 vaccinations in the Southern region on Saturday, the region’s total numbers increased to 449,725 vaccinations, a statement from the SDHB said.