Rural vaccination pace perturbs

• Published date: 01 July 2021
• Publication title: Central Otago News

However, the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) has cited the district’s geographical spread — more than 60,000sq km — and 345,000 people as a factor in rolling out the vaccine right across the district.

SDHB further cites vaccine supply as an issue.

The national shortage of the Covid-19 vaccine the SDHB refers to delayed planned vaccination centres in Ranfurly and Roxburgh until late July, with the Ministry of Health announcing last month the existing supply of the Covid-19 vaccine was ‘‘tight’’ throughout the country and needed to be carefully managed for the next five weeks.

SDHB Covid-19 vaccine roll-out incident controller Hamish Brown said in the early stages of the roll-out the SDHB focused on border workers at ports in Dunedin and Invercargill, then Queenstown when the bubble opened, and health workers in larger centres.

This had led to a contingency list being put in place to avoid vaccine waste which actually meant ‘‘we started vaccinating group 3 populations in rural areas before we reached them in urban centres’’.

The plan was to ensure no-one was more than a one-hour drive from a location where they could receive the vaccine.

The SDHB said there was currently sufficient supply of the Pfizer vaccine for it to honour existing bookings during this period. However, it would pause the opening of some new clinics.

Existing clinics may be capped or run at a reduced capacity.

For Kyeburn woman Amie Pont, news of the delay caused frustration and concern for herself and her community.

It felt like the Covid-19 vaccine was inaccessible to rural communities, and she had spoken to many people who were concerned they were being left behind, she said.

‘‘There’s just been quite a few things that have felt ‘them and us’, and so this is just another thing that makes us feel these things,’’ she said.

‘‘We’ve debated vehicles, debated water, and now it’s whether or not we have the numbers required to be vaccinated against Covid.’’

‘‘How serious do they want us to take it? I’m not a farmer but I feel it in our community,’’ she said.

Mrs Pont was immune-compromised after a recent cancer journey and was concerned the Maniototo’s isolation created a false impression the area was out of the reach of Covid.

Like many in the community, she travelled frequently for work, including to Wellington which had recently been impacted by an Australian visitor who later tested positive for the virus.

‘‘We’re a travelling community, a mobile community and we have kids all...