South Auckland GP abused, vaccines snatched

A nurse preparing a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at a 2021 vaccination event in Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

A South Auckland GP facing an aggressive patient had two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine stolen from their clinic.

Local Doctors Dawson Road said the incident on Tuesday left one staff member shaken but was otherwise "minor".

Police said two syringes containing the Covid-19 vaccine were found missing at the Clover Park clinic and were "suspected to have been taken by a woman who was verbally abusive to the health professional providing the vaccine".

"We have been dealing with this person for a while," said Local Doctors spokesman Mike Fredericson, confirming a police report had been filed.

He said they diverted a senior staff member from another clinic to the affected team, closing the other clinic at Airport Oaks earlier than usual.

A woman who was booked for a booster shot at the Airport Oaks clinic that afternoon told the Herald she was turned away.

"I turned up to find a message on the front door saying it was closed for the day," she said. "When I asked the nurse walking out why, she said boosters had been stolen."

Fredericson said the clinic was already "flat out" with the whole industry facing a staff shortage and was now preparing for the next wave of the outbreak.

The incident comes as New Zealand is in the midst of a campaign to boost the eligible population with a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

There has also been a steep rise in Covid cases signalling the start of widespread infection, after a slow start to the Omicron outbreak in January.

GPs are bracing for a battle with the virus, with Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners president Dr Samantha Murton saying the industry is feeling under pressure.

Reports of frontline health care workers facing abuse have grown since the start of the pandemic. Retail staff are also being threatened on a daily basis by aggressive customers who refuse to wear masks in line with public health measures, according to industry body Retail NZ.

Thousands continue to protest against Covid-19 health measures and the vaccine mandates on Parliament grounds, disrupting traffic, business and life in the capital Wellington.