Essential Worker Community vaccination clinics in Taranaki this weekend

Stratford District mayor Neil Volzke received his first dose of the vaccine at a community clinic in Stratford this month. Photo / Supplied

Following successful community vaccination events in Stratford, more pop-up vaccination clinics are coming to the region, this time targeting essential workers.

The clinics are being held in New Plymouth and Hāwera this weekend, says Rachel Court, Taranaki Covid-19 vaccination programme operations lead.

"After the success of our community clinics in Stratford, the programme team is keen to reach out to Taranaki people again so we can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can. Being in an alert level 4 lockdown really brings it home how important getting vaccinated is for the whole community."

She says it's vital essential workers can access the vaccine.

"We want to make sure that those people who are out there on the front-line, be that in our hospitals, supermarkets, emergency services, petrol stations, food banks or wherever, have the opportunity to protect themselves, their families and the communities they serve by receiving their Covid-19 vaccination.

"Appointments are also open to those who share a household with an essential worker, such as whānau, housemates or lodgers. This includes children aged between 12 and 15."

Booking information for the clinics will be available through employers over the next few days, says Rachel. People who are self employed should get in touch with the Taranaki District Health Board team by emailing covid.vacenquiries@tdhb.org.nz for information.

She says essential workers are those who fall into Group 2 in the sequencing framework for the Covid-19 vaccination rollout. The definition has been updated to include new groups such as supermarket workers, people who work in DIY or hardware stores, public transport services or self-service laundries and food banks.

People can check to see if they are now included in this group online at www.tdhb.org.nz.

"Booking an appointment means that you can be sure of receiving your Covid-19 vaccination on the day," says Rachel.

"Anyone who comes without an appointment will be booked into the next available slot, which may be some time away, so it really does pay to book in advance."

Essential workers who already have an appointment booked at a later date can call 0800 28 29 26 and ask to change it.

To help the clinics run smoothly:

Please arrive no more than 10 minutes early for your appointment.

Please do not bring children under the age of 12 to your appointment. Caregivers should book appointments at least one hour apart from a partner or other caregiver to ensure children can be looked after away from the clinic venue.

Always wear a mask, observe social distancing, scan in and use hand sanitiser when asked.