An Auckland vaccination clinic is doing about half the numbers it was before the lockdown - but is relieved to be back up and running.
South Seas Healthcare chief executive Silao Vaisola-Sefo says the centre is administering about 300 jabs each day. Photo: RNZ / Rowan Quinn
Many clinics resumed again yesterday after a one-day pause to get alert-level 4 protocols in place, but they were immunising fewer people.
Chief executive of the South Seas vaccination centre in Ōtara, Silao Vaisola-Sefo, said they normally administered up to 700 injections a day but would be doing only about 300 at level 4.
That was mainly so they could increase social distancing.
They were restricting the people that could enter the centre, with nurse triaging them at the gate instead, he said.
Families could still be vaccinated together but had to go through the whole process as a bubble, sticking close together rather than spreading out, he said.
They would not need as many vaccinators so many had been redeployed to its Covid testing centre, which had been extremely busy, he said.
Theo Gerristen was vaccinated at Poneke Rugby grounds in Wellington yesterday.
Because of a mix-up, he was also there last week - and said at level 4 it looked very different.
There were fewer than half the people there - and there were lots of checks and questions.
He had been anxious beforehand about heading out to be around a lot of people, but felt reassured by the protocols.
Immunisation Advisory Centre director Dr Nikki Turner said just how much the country's vaccination progress was slowed would depend on the length of the lockdown.
A few days would not make a big difference, she said.
"But if it's a few weeks, we're really going to have to be very creative about getting our clinics up to big numbers again, with good social distancing," she said.
Vaisola-Sefo said the clinic was already planning how to catch up after the lockdown, with mobile and church clinics.
A new 0800 booking number, aimed at Pacific people in Auckland, was launching today, he said.
