Chris Jacob is the mobile vaccination coordinator for Te Manu Toroa, and is running the temporary testing site at the Katikati Rugby Club today along with the DHB, and Nga Mataapuna Oranga provider network affiliates - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tamawharuia and Pirirākau Hauora. Video / Bay of Plenty Times
Time and time again throughout the Covid-19 pandemic response, New Zealand has been let down by the actions of a few.
However, there have been at least two occasions in this Delta outbreak where people have wound up at the centre of public attention but had just done what was asked of them.
They were the person who initially tested positive for Covid-19 in the Katikati case and the Devonport man at the start of the Delta outbreak.
The Devonport man, known as Case A in the Delta outbreak, was a frequent user of the Covid-19 tracer app and while he wasn't vaccinated, he sought a test as soon as he started to feel ill.
The Katikati case, who later tested negative, was an avid app user, was fully vaccinated, was permitted to travel out of Auckland and followed all guidelines, including regular testing for the virus.
People in Katikati get a test for Covid-19 on Sunday. Photo / Carmen Hall
The Katikati case appears to be the inverse of the Auckland woman who travelled to Northland with the Ministry of Health struggling to pry information from her about her travels, including details about a person who travelled with her.
Without the efforts of the Devonport man and the Katikati case, the current outbreak could have been so much worse than it already is. They aren't doing anything special, they're just doing what is asked of them by health officials.
Those who continue to abscond MIQ and the Auckland bubble, those who refuse to wear masks in public, sign in with the tracer app, protest lockdowns, and those who aren't getting vaccinated are thorns in the side of the country.
This is happening despite it appearing we will all eventually be exposed in the coming weeks, months or years to Covid-19. Their actions are only delaying our return to a pre-Covid-19 way of life. No one wants to be in lockdown but none of the rule-breaking is helping the country get back on its feet. It's doing the opposite.
Western Bay of Plenty mayor Garry Webber on Sunday called the Katikati case a "model citizen".
He hit the nail right on the head.
They were doing their part for the team of five million.
