By the Re: team
The Government is reducing the wait time between people's second Covid-19 vaccination dose and booster shot to three months.
This means a million more New Zealanders will be able to get their booster shot from Friday.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon and this reduced interval only applies if your booster is the Pfizer vaccine.
In a statement, he said Cabinet ministers had considered advice from Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and the Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group.
The Government had decided to "reduce the interval between a person's primary vaccination course and the booster from four months to three months", Hipkins said.
“This is a significant step in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic as it now means a total of 3,063,823 people aged 18 and over – two thirds of our population – will be eligible for their booster from this weekend. Over 1.3 million people have already got theirs," Hipkins said.
“I urge every New Zealander who is eligible for a booster to get it as soon as possible. We are in a race against Omicron and the more people who are boosted the more we can reduce the impact of the outbreak."
“Bringing forward the booster timing will help those who have been immunised more recently. It will mean more people, especially Māori, will be able to receive a booster before Omicron takes hold in communities," he said.
“Boosters lower your chances of getting very sick from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and ending up in hospital. Fewer hospitalisations from COVID-19 will mean our health system can continue to provide the full range of care people need, in particular for our most vulnerable such as people with disabilities or long-term illnesses."
“If you are over 18 and it is three months since you received your primary vaccination course, get your booster. There is excellent capacity this weekend and in the coming weeks and enough supply throughout Aotearoa for everyone," Hipkins said.
Separate advice on AstraZeneca will be provided by the Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group later this month.
Top Image: Person gets their Covid-19 vaccination shot. (File photo) Photo: Tomwang112/iStock
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