Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Northlanders can only get vaccinated today if they have already booked an appointment

Whangarei Public Health staff putting together some more Covid-19 testing kits, in preparation for a busy day.

Northlanders turning up to get Covid 19 vaccinations today will be turned away unless they have already made an appointment.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that Auckland and Coromandel will go into level 4 lockdown for seven days, and the rest of the country - including Northland - for three days, from 11.59pm Tuesday night.

The move came after a 58-year-old Devonport man on Auckland's North Shore tested positive yesterday after visiting a GP. He was infectious from August 12. The man, who isn't vaccinated, and his wife travelled to Coromandel over the weekend.

Since then the number of positive cases of the Delta variant have risen to 10 - all in Auckland - and many people are expected to rush to get tested, and vaccinated as a result. Auckland testing stations today have been overwhelmed by people wanting to be tested.

And while there are no confirmed Covid cases in Northland, many in the region are keen to get tested.

However, Northland District Health Board (NDHB) said people turning up at vaccination centres today will be turned away, unless they have an appointment already booked.

Jeanette Wedding, Senior Responsible Officer for NDHB's Covid-19 vaccination programme, said limited vaccination clinics are open in Northland today, but only for people with a booked appointment.

"Our focus is on people with an appointment. There is no-walk in availability at any Northland vaccination clinic during alert level 4,'' Wedding said.

''People who had appointments cancelled on Wednesday or Thursday this week will hear from us soon to provide information on rebooking. You will be contacted by text, email or phone call.''

From yesterday people aged 40 and over can make their appointment – go to https://bookmyvaccine.covid19.health.nz/ to make your booking.

The Government's vaccination programme started again today, after being suspended yesterday.

As of yesterday 96,155 Covid vaccine doses had been administered in Northland.

Of those 37,816 people have received both doses of the vaccine in Northland, and 19,865 people are yet to receive their second dose. Some of the people included in these figures may have got their first or second dose outside the region.

On Wednesday 648 Covid-19 tests were done in Northland.

There are no known Covid-19 cases in Northland at this time and anyone who has travelled outside Northland, in particular to a location of interest, at the times stated needs to have a test.

NDHB has increased Covid-19 testing across the region with centres in Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Kawakawa, Whangārei and Dargaville.

For more information about testing go to Northland Community Based Testing Centres at www.northlanddhb.org.nz/home/covid-19/covid-19-northland-hub/northland-community-testing-centres/