The 90% Project: Rotorua's Central Pharmacy offers night-time vaccinations

A pharmacy in Rotorua is offering after-hours vaccinations in an effort to give as many people as possible the opportunity to protect themselves against Covid-19.

Central Pharmacy is opening late on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week to offer vaccinations between 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

The pharmacy is happy to take walk-ins but prefers appointments as they mix the vaccine on-site and have 6 hours in which to use it.

Central Pharmacy owner David Honore said it had become apparent that not everyone was able to find time to get vaccinated during the day.

"The DHB is doing a great job down at the hub but we just thought we'd offer vaccinations at night, aimed at people who are working or at school during the day," he said.

The after-hours vaccinations began last week and Honore said those who had attended so far seemed grateful for the opportunity.

"We're finding it is young people and last night there were some builders who were working hard during the day, so couldn't get away, but wanted to get it done. Plus there were some school-aged people who came in with their mothers and got it done as well.

"A comment from one of the people there last night, who was a bit hesitant about the needle jab, was that it was much easier than they expected and they'd be recommending it to their friends."

Honore is passionate about helping to ensure New Zealand meets its goal of at least 90 per cent of the eligible population being vaccinated against Covid-19 and encouraged those who were hesitant to take advice from medical professionals rather than social media.

"The big thing is to talk to your doctor, talk to your pharmacist about it. Talk to the health professionals that you see most often and they will tell you what the story is. If you have any queries, ask those people, don't listen to social media.

"Being vaccinated is going to make everyone safe and take the burden off the health system, it's our best way out of this situation. If we get inundated with Covid, the health system facilities we've got won't cope with it. That's the main reason.

"If you had a heart attack and all the beds are full at Rotorua Hospital because of people with Covid who haven't been vaccinated, what would you think? That's what worries me the most."

He said young people, who may not be severely affected if they contracted the virus, should think about what could happen if they passed it on to someone who was more vulnerable.

To book a Covid-19 vaccination go to bookmyvaccine.nz. You can call Central Pharmacy on 07 348 6028 or walk in and talk to the team.