Southern GPs in dark about vaccination rollout

Southern urban GPs are ready to vaccinate people in Dunedin and Invercargill against Covid-19 and are asking when they will be called on to help.

The Southern District Health Board yesterday announced older people and those with underlying health conditions in Dunedin and Invercargill would, from this week, be invited to book appointments for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Rural GPs have been called on in centres such as Gore, Queenstown and Wanaka to take part in the vaccination programme.

However, city practices, apart from a few called on to vaccinate border workers or aged care residents, have yet to be marshalled into action.

About 100,000 southerners are in Group 3 — which includes those aged 65 or over, those with a relevant underlying health condition, disabled people, pregnant women and adults in custodial settings.

Some GPs, who did not wish to be named, have told the Otago Daily Times they are frustrated that they have the skills and the staff to give injections but they had not been told when they were going to be called upon.

"It’s been hard to get involved," one Dunedin GP said.

"I guess all the focus has been on the main vaccination centres like the Meridian Mall ... In urban areas GPs will definitely have to be involved injecting Group 4."

The SDHB has dispensed more than 35,000 vaccines, 2% more than the Ministry of Health schedule.

Invitations for people in Group 3 to be injected would be issued "in the coming weeks", SDHB vaccine rollout incident controller Hamish Brown said.

He said vaccination invitations would be sent over the coming weeks, primarily by text message, from the SDHB, WellSouth primary health network, general practices and Maori health providers.

An 0800 number would be available for people without internet or mobile phone access.

WellSouth medical director Stephen Graham said general practices should be much more heavily involved in the vaccination programme, "and I hope that they will be in the future".

Successful international vaccination programmes, such as that in Britain, had heavily relied on general practices, Dr Graham said.

"We are part of the solution."

Mr Brown said further planning work was needed to scale up the vaccination programme to include Group 4.

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz