The Southern District Health Board (SDHB) is pleased with progress made so far on the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in the Upper Clutha, and has plans to ramp up delivery.

The SDHB has delivered nearly 95,000 vaccines in the Southern region. There are two clinics operating weekly in Wanaka and 3,628 patients enrolled with a GP in Wanaka have been vaccinated to date, SDHB Covid-19 vaccine rollout incident controller Hamish Brown told the Wanaka App.

“We are pleased with the progress we have made so far and are preparing to ramp up delivery at the end of July,” he said.

In Southern, those eligible in group three of the Ministry of Health’s sequencing framework are currently being vaccinated. This includes those aged 65 and over, people with underlying health conditions and people with disabilities. 

“Those in this group can expect to receive an invitation by July 23 to book their appointment,” Hamish said. 

“We estimate there [are] about 100,000 people in this group in Southern and we thank the public for their patience as we work through this large cohort.”

Invitations are being sent via text, email or letter and include a booking access code and details about how to make an appointment.  

A Wanaka resident in Group 3 told the Wanaka App he received a text invitation for a vaccination on Friday (July 16), and received his vaccination at a clinic at Aspiring Medical Centre the following day.

“I thought, this is awesome, it’s run so smoothly,” he said. There was no wait for the initial vaccination, then a mandatory 20 minute wait following. 

“I was quite happy afterwards. What a relief,” he said.

In Southern, the district health board has partnered with WellSouth and has been working closely with general practice, pharmacies and Māori health providers to roll out the vaccine in the widespread district. 

“We have more than 30 clinics currently operating across the district, with more planned in the coming months. We anticipate having about 120 providers across the district at the peak of the rollout to ensure we are reaching all of our widespread and rural population,” Hamish said.

He said the Southern district's Māori and Pasifika rollout is operating under a different booking and delivery model (a flexible drop-in model), designed for these communities, and has received “a really positive response”. 

PHOTO: Reuters