COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Hawke’s Bay

1 Mar 2021, 12:46

The first COVID-19 vaccinations were given in Hawke’s Bay last week to front line nurses so the vaccination to border workers can begin this week. 

Public Health nurse and COVID-19 educator Linda St George was the first of a group of primary care and Hawke’s Bay public health workers to have the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.    

Ms St George said she had been waiting to have the vaccine and was very excited to be one of the first people in the country to have it. 

“It’s great to be part of this. I have no worries about the vaccine’s safety – there has been a huge amount of research and millions of people all around the world have had it. 

“It’s like building up our armour to defend ourselves from an enemy we can’t even see.  I’m really looking forward to the day when most of New Zealand is vaccinated and we are impenetrable to this virus and can get on with our lives, travel again and open our borders,” she said. 

Ngaira Harker, the DHB’s COVID vaccine operational lead said this was the first step in the rollout of the vaccine in Hawke’s Bay. 

“Over the coming weeks we will be vaccinating our border workers and their families, then front-line healthcare workers and vulnerable people before the rollout to the wider population.” 

Ms Harker said border workers should be congratulated and applauded for the job they do every day protecting our borders  - “the vaccine is another added layer to our protective armour”. 

The Pfizer BioNtech vaccine has had Medsafe approval in New Zealand and has been held to the same high standard of vaccine safety as any other vaccine.