Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Zizi Sparks: Anti-vaccine mandate believers need to pull their heads in

A vaccine mandate just makes sense. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

Things are about to get real.

The clock is ticking for workers in the education and health and disability fields to get their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They need to have had their first dose by November 15 - this Monday - and be fully vaccinated by January 1.

Already a small group is putting up a big fuss.

If they can't suck it up and do what is right for vulnerable people, they will be without jobs. People need to see the bigger picture here, I believe.

At the moment the Pfizer vaccine is only available for ages 12 and up.

That means pupils at schools are less protected than those who are vaccinated. Their educators should do everything they can to protect those young people. Rules are in place to keep everyone safe and to protect children who can't be vaccinated yet.

Health workers who don't want to get the vaccine baffle me even more.

Surely people in that sector are more aware of the risks of catching Covid-19. Maybe they have seen them first-hand. If I was sick and immuno-compromised and in hospital I would not want to be treated by someone at higher risk of passing the virus on to me.

Because some people can't see the bigger picture, teachers and health professionals — some with a wealth of experience and years of service — will go.

Data reported by NZME in the past week is stark and confronting.

Indicative modelling for 2022 shows, in the Lakes District Health Board area, there would be 14,000 Covid-19 cases and an estimated 100 people will die if an 80 per cent vaccination rate is achieved.

If 90 per cent is hit the number of deaths would nearly halve and case numbers would drop to just under 10,000.

In the Bay of Plenty District Health Board area an estimated 230 people would die and there would be almost 31,000 Covid-19 cases at an 80 per cent vaccination rate.

At 90 per cent the deaths would also halve and case numbers would drop to 20,000.

In my view, New Zealanders should be doing all they can to reduce the number of cases and deaths, and this modelling data the impact vaccination can have.

For information on the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and other things you need to know, listen to our podcast Science Digest with Michelle Dickinson:

Workers facing vaccine mandates who would rather lose their jobs than get a vaccine that could slow the spread and save lives need to pull their heads in and play their part.