Covid-19 Delta outbreak: More than a third of eligible Bay residents have got booster

More than a third of eligible Bay of Plenty District Health Board area residents have received their booster shot against Covid-19.

It comes as a doctor says about 3000 booster vaccinations are being given a day on weekdays in the Bay of Plenty and a leading epidemiologist describes the booster as "a lifesaver".

The interval between getting the second dose and the booster changed from six months to four on January 5.

Toi Te Ora Public Health medical officer of health Dr Phil Shoemack said as of that date, 66,449 residents were eligible for a booster.

As of the same date, 24,341 residents had received their booster which was 37 per cent of those eligible, the Covid-19 immunisation register data showed.

Shoemack said a booster shot would provide "better protection against the Omicron variant" than two doses.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief medical officer and Fifth Avenue Medical Centre GP Dr Luke Bradford. Photo / George Novak

Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief medical officer Dr Luke Bradford said about 3000 booster shots were being given on weekdays which was "really encouraging".

"I think that acceptance that Omicron is inevitable will drive, and it should drive, booster uptake because with Omicron you really do need three jabs to get that full protection or as good a protection as we can get and make most instances turn into a more mild disease."

Bradford said people had realised there needed to be a vaccinated population in order to protect themselves, their families, businesses and livelihoods.

He said there would be "a real acceleration" of the eligible number of people for the booster in the next few weeks.

"Four months ago now is our real peak immunisation time for our second doses ... because it coincided with lockdown and Delta into the community and the change in the way we delivered the vaccination."

There was a lot of availability and places for people to get the booster shot in the Bay of Plenty including walk-in vaccination clinics, pharmacies and general practices, he said.

Epidemiologist Michael Baker. Photo / Supplied

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said it was "really good news" so many people had come forward to get their booster shot, which would include older people and the most vulnerable.

Baker said the third dose would "boost your antibodies" which made you "far less likely to get infected and to pass the infection on".

"The antibody immunity seems to wane quite steadily over six months and also it seems quite poor with just two doses of [the] Pfizer vaccine - [it] doesn't seem to give you much antibody protection against Omicron.

"Giving that third dose really boosts your antibody levels hugely and does protect you against Omicron and getting infected.

"It really is going to be a lifesaver and it's also going to help dampen down transmission so it's a very good idea for the sake of you and the people around you to get that booster."

When asked if people will need a fourth dose, Baker pointed to the flu where people were advised to get a flu injection every year.

"It may be that we will get a booster every year just like we do for flu vaccine ... to boost your immunity and also to tweak your immunity to cover the circulating strains."

Baker said it was "a reasonable expectation" people would get annual boosters for Covid-19 along with the flu vaccine but there were "no guarantees".

Last week, Baker said he did not believe New Zealand was ready for an Omicron outbreak. He thought the variant would be too infectious to eliminate and may not even be able to be suppressed as the country had with Delta and the first strain.

He supported the Government's move to shorten the gap required between people receiving their second vaccine dose and a booster dose, from six months down to four.

Baker also stressed the importance of vaccinating children quickly before an Omicron outbreak, to minimise the harm for them and to add to population immunity.