RNZ
Northlanders are waiting on the phone for hours as they try to book appointments for their Covid-19 vaccine - while older people are being turned away as they attempt walk-in appointments.
More than a quarter of Air New Zealand’s frontline staff have not had a single Covid-19 dose and the Government doesn’t know how many other border workers are unvaccinated, months after the top priority group was first offered the vaccine. A new Health Order which mandates border workers must have had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine only covers border workers employed by the Government and not the “wider border workforce”. So it misses roles such as airline staff and port workers. All managed isolation and quarantine staff are covered by the order.
Alex Taylor/Stuff
Nadia, a caregiver at the Rosewood Rest Home and Hospital in Christchurch, receiving her first Covid jab this week. “It will vary by employer and it will vary by group. What we do know, and I think this is the key thing, is that anyone working in managed isolation . since last weekend has to be vaccinated, and we’re confident about that,” Bloomfield said. Work is under way now for all border staff employers to get workers’ names into the Covid testing register, which became compulsory from late April. “Then we can get the denominator, and from there we’re also able to link that to the vaccine database, the new Covid immunisation register,” Bloomfield said.
Health Minister Andrew Little announces the Government plan to abolish the 20 DHBs.
The sweeping changes to the health system should create a more equitable and efficient national service, especially for Māori and disadvantaged people, Wellington region doctors and health experts say. Many cautiously welcomed the Government’s surprise announcement yesterday that it would be scrapping the country s 20 district health boards, including Wellington’s Capital & Coast District Health Board and Hutt Valley District Health Board. But details were scant, making it difficult to gauge the impact on patients and health care providers.
ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF
Royal New Zealand College of GPs president Samantha Murton.
Thursday, 15 April 2021, 4:49 pm
The National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) was
launched in Wellington this week, bringing free screening to
around 45,000 people living in Kapiti, Porirua and
Wellington city.
Capital & Coast District Health
Board is the 16th DHB to offer bowel screening and joins its
neighbours, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa, which were the first
DHBs to join the national programme when it began almost
four years ago.
NBSP Clinical Director Dr Susan Parry
says the addition of the greater Wellington population to
the programme this week is a significant
milestone.
“Around 86 percent of
eligible New Zealanders, aged 60 to 74, now have access to