Double vaccinated 104-year-old war veteran "trumps" Helen Clark's 99-year-old double-jabbed dad

Helen Clark's dad George of Waihi Beach is double vaccinated. Photo / Supplied

Helen Clark's 99-year-old father George from Waihi Beach is among those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 - though he's been "trumped" by 104-year-old Neil Harton.

As of Tuesday, Thames-Coromandel was ninth-equal in the highest full vaccination rate in the country.

However, that figure was still only 52 per cent fully vaccinated or 14,448, and 75 percent having had their first dose. Hauraki District had 11,720 or 67 per cent of its population vaccinated with one dose and 30 per cent fully vaccinated.

The former Prime Minister and co-chair of the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Helen Clark, tweeted from Waihi Beach to the world: "If my
Dad, at 99 years, 6 months and one week could have his second COVID19 jab, what excuse can there be for others to hang back?"

To this, Aucklander Dave Harton replied: "Yup, mine too. Now 104, double jabbed a while ago."

Helen Clark's dad George of Waihi Beach is double vaccinated. Photo / Supplied

Neil Harton (104), says he's actually closer to 105 than 104 and he doesn't know why people would remain unvaccinated.

"Why are they afraid?

An accountant for most of his life apart from five years in WWII when he commanded a motor torpedo boat, Neil lives alone in Whangaparaoa and was confused as to why he'd been called by a Coromandel-based journalist to confirm his views on vaccination.

"Ah," he said after hearing about Twitter posts and Helen Clark's dad. "So I've trumped him."

He said vaccination was an easy decision.

"I wanted to protect myself and stop it passing on if I didn't get a vaccination."

Asked if he thought the Government was doing a good job, he announced he had "still got some marbles" offering the suggestion: "We've got to make more effort to get people, for instance there'll be queues in Hamilton for getting a Covid test, why not get the vaccine at the same time as well."

He said he'd had no worries himself about getting the jab.

"Why should one worry about it? You can't go through life being afraid."

Helen Clark said Covid-19 is overwhelmingly affecting the unvaccinated.

"Please help yourself, your community and your country and get vaccinated now! It's our choice whether we want to get out of lockdowns or look like NSW," she said.

Waikato DHB is ramping up efforts to encourage vaccination, targeting parts of the region where vaccination levels are low with jabs by local people.

Across the wider Waikato region, almost three-quarters of the Waikato DHB population has had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 45 per cent are fully vaccinated.

"The DHB has been using mobile vaccination units to target those rural and remote areas around the region," a Ministry of Health spokesperson said.

"From last week this mobile programme has begun significant expansion to target those areas, particularly where we have seen lower vaccination levels.

"We are also partnering with local providers wherever we can to ensure vaccines can be delivered by local people who understand their communities."

However, there remains hesitancy in some of the population from the Hauraki and Coromandel region.

A Hauraki Plains, Thames and Coromandel Peninsula group has formed under the Voices For Freedom nationwide group, holding a Saturday morning protest with placards from the side of Ngati Maru highway near Thames.

The group had 31 protestors from Whitianga, Tairua, Onemana, Whangamata, Waihi, Waiomu, Ngarimu, Netherton, Totara and Thames.

They said regulations which farmers are facing, freedom of speech and new legislation relating to anti-terrorism and the "No Jab No Job" laws and repercussions were among issues they debated and discussed as a group.

The vaccine is free to all New Zealanders and is available at certain GP surgeries, pharmacies and pop up sites around the Hauraki Coromandel.

Vaccination centres in the Hauraki-Coromandel include;

THAMES: Thames Vaccination Centre at Goldfields Shopping Centre, 9am to 4:30pm, Unichem Thames Pharmacy and Thames Medical Centre.
TAIRUA: Tairua-Pauanui Pharmacy and Tairua Medical Centre (varying hours).
PAUANUI: Pauanui Medical Centre.
PAEROA: Paeroa Medical Centre, Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki - Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Service, War Memorial Hall, Friday 1 and 15 October, 10am - 3pm.
NGATEA: Health Ngatea.
KAIAUA: Wharekawa Marae, East Coast Road, Whakatiwai, Saturday 2 October 9.30am to 2pm.
WHANGAMATA: Whangamata Medical Centre.
WAIHI: Waihi Family Doctors, Waihi Community Marae, Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki - Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Service, Saturday 16 October 9am to 1pm and Waihi Events Centre October 21 and November 11.

People can book, change and cancel appointments via the ministry's Book My Vaccine website but walk-ins are also allowed according to the Waikato DHB website.

If you have someone's permission, you can book on their behalf or can book by calling the Covid Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26.

Karawhiua - which is aimed at whānau, hapū, iwi, and Māori communities - has a map displaying Kaupapa Māori centres, Kaupapa Māori 'vax now' centres, centres where anyone can access, centres for eligible GP patients and general 'vax now' centres.

Email HC Post Editor Alison Smith at alison.smith@nzme.co.nz