Wairoa’s vaccination numbers are slowly creeping up.

As at last Thursday evening, 73% of Wairoa’s eligible population was fully vaccinated and 83% of eligible people had received their first vaccination.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said around 775 people aged over 12 who live in the Wairoa district need to get their first vaccination for Wairoa to reach a 90% vaccination rate.

“If we can get to 90% there is a strong chance our traffic light status, which is currently on red, will move down to orange and eventually green, which will mean less restrictions for everyone in our district.”

Mr Little thanked everyone who has been stepping up and having their first vaccination and contributing to the lift in numbers for our community.

“Thank you also to everyone involved in the vaccinating, your contribution in helping protect our community is outstanding and we are grateful.

“I would also like to remind people to please be kind. If you do not support the current vaccination programme, please be respectful, particularly to the people on the ground who are doing the work to protect our community.

“On Friday evening, the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board confirmed there are positive COVID-19 cases in the Wairoa district.

“So far, we have been fortunate in that these cases are low risk, are self-isolating and investigations to date have revealed no locations of interest.

“However, we cannot be complacent, this is a grim reminder of how easily COVID spreads. We just need to look at the news reports from overseas to see what is happening in countries where vaccination rates are low.

“We have many vulnerable members of our whānau and limited health resources to support them. Our nearest ICU is two hours away and we have no ventilators, so it is important to keep our whānau safe.

“Double vaccination remains the best protection. If you are hesitant about receiving your vaccination, please talk to people who you trust, seek factual advice and be informed by trusted sources.

“We have been preparing for when COVID-19 comes to our district, we have plans in place and our priority is to keep our whānau as safe as possible. We also need people to be prepared to self-isolate and have a plan around how they will take care of whānau who become sick. I hope people have been planning and have food supplies, fluids, and baby, pet or other specialised needs, hygiene products and medical and cleaning supplies already in their homes.

“I encourage everyone to review their whānau and whare plans and to ensure that, if necessary, you are able to stay home for a period of time.

“I urge our communities to stay calm, be kind and follow the COVID-19 guidelines and red traffic light system that Wairoa is operating under.

“Please do not panic and overload our local supermarket, pharmacy or other businesses, there is plenty to go around. We need everyone to respond calmly and be kind to each other.

“People should also follow the COVID guidelines, such as mask wearing, sanitising, social distancing and using the tracer app.

“Anyone who is feeling unwell or has COVID symptoms, even if they are mild, should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible.

“It is also important people source their information from reliable and genuine sources. There is a lot of misinformation being spread and I urge everyone to do their research and ensure their information is accurate.”

“Please be kind and support each other and our communities during this challenging time.”

6 December 2021

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