The caravan will be at Norsewood, Ormondville and Woodville on October 30. Photo / Supplied
The caravan will be at Norsewood, Ormondville and Woodville on October 30. Photo / Supplied
The number of people getting vaccinated against Covid is still too low in Tararua district, Mayor Tracey Collis says.
Data from the Ministry of Health provided by MidCentral DHB shows the number overall for Tararua is 77.3 per cent for those who have had their first dose.
For Māori, 60.8per cent have had the first one, Pasifika is 80 per cent and European/Other is 81.2 per cent.
Second dose overall is 59.5 per cent, with Māori being 40.5 per cent, 49.5 per cent for Pasifika and 64.1 per cent for European/Other.
"We're a closely connected community. When I say closely connected, it could spread right through Dannevirke very easily."
That was something Mongrel Mob Barbarians chapter leader Edwin Marsh agreed on.
His chapter was encouraged to attend the vaccination drive on Super Saturday.
"We're a family-oriented community," he said. "If Covid gets into Dannevirke, it'll spread quickly."
Other chapters had been looking to his gang to see what would happen once they got their first dose.
While some members were worried, Marsh said most of them did get their vaccine on that day and the rest were following suit.
He said he'd told "my boys" that while it was not a cure, it would stop them getting really sick.
Mayor Tracey Collis says Tararua is between three regions and a lot of people travel through the district. Photo / NZME
Collis said while things were difficult with having to wear masks and taking precautions, it was small in relation to what it could be if vaccination rates didn't increase.
Recent incidents had made it clear just how easily Covid could come into the community.
The hospitalisation of a truck driver with Covid in Palmerston North and a scare at the Dannevirke District Court were reminders.
The court was closed to the public after information was received about a potential Covid contact.
Collis said she had expected the Saturday drive to have been quite busy following that scare.
"One of the things I'll be looking at is just how our teams here all connect, how we make that communication highly effective very quickly, how we put that calm back into the community."
Rangitane manager Mavis Mullins said the numbers for Māori "said it all".
"We still have some way to go with our Māori whanau.
"It is not difficult to look into the past to understand the resistance. It is about lack of trust, lack of information in a manner that is easy to understand, lack of understanding and lack of access.
"We are on a pathway that is about removing as many of those barriers as possible."
She said for whanau who were interested in understanding more, there were Covid co-ordinators who were more than willing to help them understand and take the service to them.
Tararua Health Group operations manager Samantha Chapman said there was still a lot of work to do "to enjoy the freedoms we have been used to".
The caravan will be at Norsewood, Ormondville and Woodville on October 30. Photo / Supplied
Some outreach days had been planned using the MidCentral DHB caravan, with three already organised on October 30 at Norsewood hall from 9am to 11am, Ormondville Fire Station from noon to 2pm, and Woodville Health Centre from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. .
