Covid 19 Delta outbreak: The traffic light system explained. Video / Jed Bradley / Mark Mitchell / Ben Cummins
The Lakes District Health Board administered 947 vaccinations in the region last weekend, with 66 per cent of the eligible population now triple dosed.
It comes as 19 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the board's region today, with 2846 new community cases nationally.
Meanwhile, a student at RotoruaLakes High School has tested positive.
A DHB spokesperson said it was critical that parents got their children vaccinated due to the many positive cases being detected in schools.
There were 212 active Covid-19 cases in the Lakes, and this would "only increase".
"Covid-19 really is a disease that affects people of every age and we need to get our children vaccinated to protect our older people."
Queues at the Rotorua Covid-19 community testing centre behind the Copthorne Hotel on Monday. Photo / Ben Fraser
The spokesperson said there were still 22,823 eligible people in the Lakes who needed their booster "urgently".
"Boosters are still the best way to fight Omicron, it helps slow the spread of the virus and lowers the chances of getting very sick and being hospitalised.
"Time is now critical to get the whole whānau vaccinated and protected together.
"It takes a few weeks to get coverage from your vaccinations so don't wait until Covid-19 is rampant in the community."
The 947 vaccinations given over the weekend compared with more than 1400 the previous weekend.
The spokesperson said the DHB was expecting the Government to move into phase 3 of its Omicron response soon, which would see rapid antigen tests (RATs) more widely used.
"Much-higher volumes of testing in the Lakes DHB rohe makes it much harder to keep up with the testing demand.
"Increasingly, we will be moving to more RATs testing rather than PCR testing as RATs testing is more easily done and does not put pressure on the laboratory service."
Te Arawa Covid Response Hub chairman Monty Morrison said he had noticed an increase in the number of children aged 5 to 11 getting vaccinated at the drive-through clinic on Sunday.
The hub was also part of the national vaccination booster programme.
"That's been going well - our numbers have been good coming through so we're pretty happy with that.
"We need to make sure we get everybody across the line including those who still haven't received their first vaccination yet."
As Omicron case numbers grew, Morrison said a challenge was keeping its own team safe so it could continue to deliver its services. This included making sure they understood the importance of wearing secure masks, distancing when indoors and unnecessary movement.
Rotorua's Covid-19 community testing centre behind the Copthorne Hotel is open daily from 8.30am to 3pm. Photo / Ben Fraser
Rotorua Lakes High School principal Jon Ward said a student had tested positive for Covid on Friday.
The school had identified close contacts over the weekend and "gone through normal Ministry of Health procedures".
The school was still open and all close contacts had been asked to self-isolate and get tested. Following negative tests on days five and eight, they could return to school, he said.
A full list of Covid testing sites and vaccination clinics in the Lakes District Health Board region can be found on the Healthpoint website.
A new vaccination hub in Whakatāne
Kaupapa Māori provider Te Puna Ora o Mataatua is opening a Covid vaccination hub in Whakatāne on Friday.
Whānau are invited to visit the hub on Friday and Saturday where free kai, coffee and icecream would be available for everyone receiving their vaccinations and their whānau.
Chief executive Dr Chris Tooley said the site was symbolic of its partnership with mana whenua.
"Currently, we are the largest Eastern Bay of Plenty-based kaupapa Māori provider delivering vaccinations in the community.
"This new site, owned by Te Rahui Lands Trust, will allow us to create a hub for Mataatua vaccinations, and ultimately enable us to protect more whānau across the rohe.
"We are grateful to have support from the Te Rahui Lands Trust and Te Hokowhitu Marae in our delivery of this essential service."
The Mataatua vaccination hub will be open on Friday from 4pm-7pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm at 13 State Highway 30, The Hub, Whakatāne.
