If you decide not to vaccinate then the past two years have been for nothing. Photo / Getty Images
If you decide not to vaccinate then the past two years have been for nothing. Photo / Getty Images
OPININON
The best messages are those kept short and sweet so in a bid to practice what I preach, I will get straight to the point: Get your jab if you haven't already.
Getting the vaccine is one of the best steps anyone can take amid New Zealand's virus response.
On Thursday, it was revealed the most dangerous phase of the pandemic could still be ahead for New Zealand.
Modelling has shown that even with high vaccination rates, opening up our borders could still lead to cases and deaths on a scale we're yet to experience.
"The modelling shows that if vaccination rates are in the 70s or low 80s [per cent] in the eligible population, a large-scale outbreak could still threaten our health service capacity and lead to tens of thousands of hospitalisations and thousands of deaths," University of Canterbury modeller Professor Michael Plank said.
"If we can get into the 90s, the threat will be much smaller and could be limited to a more manageable number of hospitalisations with some additional public health measures."
Health officials are planning for a post-lockdown future in New Zealand. Photo / Mark Mitchell
That's why NZME has just launched The 90% Project, a major campaign to work for at least 90 per cent full vaccination in our eligible population by Christmas.
Over the coming weeks and months, we'll bring you all you need to know about why vaccination protects against Covid, how to get vaccinated and how to help friends and whānau understand why they should also. It comes as the Government and health officials plan how to manage the virus in a post-lockdown environment with open borders.
I have no doubt our low vaccination rates before the lockdown had some part to play in the severity of the restrictions imposed.
People were quick to grumble and moan about the prospect of heading into alert level 4 and for good reason - it's terrible.
Most of the country was pretty lucky and went down to level 3 and then level 2 quickly but spare a thought for Auckland.
The Supercity has been the epicentre of this outbreak and remains at level 4 almost a month later.
When Auckland suffers, everyone suffers - and the case of the truck driver who visited Tauranga this week while potentially infectious shows the border is not impenetrable.
However, the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be approaching.
The daily case numbers have been declining for a while now and the decision has been made, in principle, to move Auckland to level 3 on Tuesday evening.
As we all know by now, or should: this virus won't go away without a fight.
We have learnt firsthand Covid-19 is ever-changing, with the Delta variant which sparked this outbreak known to be more severe than the original form of the virus.
As catastrophic and painful as this outbreak and lockdown have been, I think it's been a good reminder about not getting complacent.
Scanning is hugely important, as is getting a test when you're ill and isolating but at the forefront should be getting your vaccine.
I don't think saying the decision between getting a vaccine is a matter of life or death is an overstatement. It may not be your own life but maybe a loved one, or perhaps no one dies but we're forced into another lockdown and it's someone's business?
If people don't get vaccinated, then the past two years of suffering from lockdown restrictions will have been for nothing.
I urge everyone to trust the information coming from the people who have spent their lives studying epidemics, not those sceptics behind a computer.
