The distant goal of herd immunity can only be achieved when a sufficient percentage of the population has become immune to the infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby reducing the likelihood of infections for individuals who lack immunity. Thankfully, New Zealand is now on the long, long road to achieving this and so is the local community.
The dual two-day vaccination clinics held in Stratford have been a great success. Around 4000 people took up the opportunity to receive their vaccination jab. This was a very heartening uptake number, especially when considering that originally, the Health Board had no intention of holding a vaccination clinic in Stratford. Like us, they will be pleased the clinics went ahead.
Meanwhile, in most instances, council services continue to be provided to some degree at least, with the bulk of key staff able to work remotely from home. And in particular, let's not forget our unsung heroes who continue their work with the provision of core services such as drinking water, wastewater and refuse collections continue to happen without fanfare or fuss. Because they've been here before, all staff have slotted back into their response roles with relative ease and familiarity. I take this opportunity to thank our staff for their co-operation and willingness to get on with the job under difficult circumstances.
For elected members the lockdown means a return to Zoom council meetings. In March last year this was completely new territory for us, but Zoom meetings have now become such a regular occurrence, they are part of the new normal. For a meeting chairman, Zoom meetings are much more difficult to manage and offer some new challenges, but often add some humour. That new phrase "you are on mute" is stated at least five times a meeting, connectivity failures occur and frustrations increase, but we are getting there.
So what is expected of us as individuals and how can we play our role in stamping out the virus? The answer is to follow the alert level 4 protocols:
· Stay home and keep to your bubble. Your bubble is your household, and anyone that may be dependent on you.
· Only leave home for essential services: visiting the supermarket, exercise, getting tested, or receiving urgent medical care.
· When leaving home for essential exercise, please wear a mask and physically distance from those outside your bubble.
With Monday's announcement that alert level 4 has been extended right across the country, the pandemic response has taken on a different perspective. The lockdown response now looks like it is set to become a much longer event than first thought and the actions taken will change accordingly. As well as the public health needs, the financial impact of the lockdown will really start to hit home and stress levels will rise for many people. We need to be neighbourly and supportive of each other. The Taranaki region is well positioned to respond to the challenges ahead but buckle up, we are in for a bumpy ride.