19 August 2021

Vaccinations have resumed today. Anyone who was already booked in should attend their appointment unless notified otherwise.
Anyone over the age of 40 can now book their vaccination at Book My Vaccine.
Stay home even if you are fully vaccinated - there is still a risk that you could contract and/or transmit the virus.
Vaccinations remain the most effective way of protecting yourself and your whānau against COVID-19. No vaccine is 100% effective but the Pfizer vaccine is 88% effective.

Learn more about Vaccines from the NZ Government COVID-19 website - they have a series of useful videos.

Where to go to get your COVID-19 vaccine

See the Health Point website for the most up to date list of vaccination locations.

There are 84 sites for vaccination in the South Island for Māori and Pasifika over 55 years to access
There are currently 63 sites for vaccination in the South Island for Māori aged between 16-54 years; 20 of these are kaupapa Māori services.

Getting your COVID-19 vaccine

Download the following information sheets from the Ministry of Health:

How COVID-19 vaccines were developed quickly and safely

Creating the COVID-19 vaccines took a global effort, but the world united to take on the challenge. And we did not start from scratch — researchers were able to use their knowledge of other coronaviruses and vaccine development.

The vaccines have been developed very quickly but without taking any shortcuts in the necessary processes or compromising safety.

Vaccine clinical trials and testing — Ministry of Health

Vaccine assessment and approval in New Zealand

Medsafe is New Zealand’s medicines safety authority. It evaluates applications for all new medicines, including vaccines, to make sure they meet international standards and local requirements.

Medsafe will only recommend a medicine is approved for use in New Zealand if it meets these standards.

The Pfizer vaccine has been provisionally approved (with conditions) for use in New Zealand.

This means it is been formally approved after a thorough assessment, but Pfizer must give Medsafe ongoing data and reporting to show that it meets international standards.

Assessing and approving the vaccines — Ministry of Health

Other vaccines we have agreed to purchase — Ministry of Health

How vaccine safety is monitored

Medsafe will continue to monitor the safety and efficacy of the vaccine as it is used. It will assess ongoing data and reporting, such as large clinical trials across the world and reporting by healthcare professionals and people who have received the vaccine.

Vaccine safety monitoring process — Medsafe

Vaccine effectiveness

The Pfizer vaccine is highly effective if people have both doses

Studies show that about 95% of people who have received both doses of the vaccine are protected against getting COVID-19 symptoms. This means that once you are fully vaccinated, you are far less likely to fall seriously ill and less likely to transmit the virus to others.

Vaccine effectiveness and protection — Ministry of Health

Delta variant

Being fully vaccinated gives you a high degree of protection against Delta infection, and an even higher degree of protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death.

Evidence currently shows the effectiveness of 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine against illness due to Delta infection is about 88%, and the protection against hospitalisation due to Delta infection about 96%.

COVID-19: About the Delta variant — Ministry of Health