Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Taupō vaccination centres ready for 5-11-year olds

Kids who are 5-11 can receive their first Covid-19 vaccination from Monday next week. Photo / Rachel Canning

Taupō residents have been queuing round the block, eager to receive booster vaccinations against Covid-19.

In the first four days of the rollout, the Taupō Immunisation Hub administered 1851 booster shots. Booster vaccines for walk-ins began on Wednesday last week and online bookings will be accepted from January 17.

A Lakes District Health Board spokeswoman says as of January 10 there were 17,017 people eligible for a booster in the Lakes DHB region and 14,628 had received it so far. She was unable to give Taupō district figures.

"There has been a strong uptake in boosters with those aged 18 and over who can now receive their booster shot four months after their second dose."

Lakes DHB is now recruiting staff for the Totara St immunisation hub in Taupō, in anticipation of rolling out the Covid-19 vaccination to children who are 5 to 11.

Vaccination centres in the Taupō district are gearing up to administer first shots for about 4000 children in the Taupō district who can get their first shot from January 17. The online booking system will also become operational from Monday.

The spokeswoman says the DHB will be arranging outreach clinics in hard-to-reach communities from February.

Pihanga Health practice manager Hilary MorrishAllensays it got its first batch of kids' vaccines on Monday this week. It is not expecting a massive queue on the first day.

"I think it will be more of a controlled start. We are only just starting to get inquiries from parents."

She says the practice already has extra staff on board for the booster rollout and is yet to finalise plans for how, when or where they will offer a Covid-19 vaccination service to children.

"We will probably run a separate clinic to manage the risk of mixing the adult doses with the kids' doses."

Hilary says it is possible vaccinations for children will be offered at Tūwharetoa Health-run Awhi House, a Tuesday clinic for mothers and children.

No direction has yet been given on doing vaccinations in schools, and Hilary says they may offer after-school clinics for 5-11-year-olds.

Pihanga Health reached 7500 Covid-19 administered doses on Tuesday, and Hilary says they have been "unbelievably busy" administering four-month booster shots.