​The Immunisation Advisory Team are hosting another Ask the Experts Q&A webinar where health professionals can ask our Medical Experts questions relating to COVID-19 and immunisation.

The webinar will be on Thursday 10th February, at 5pm.

Please register here.

More information on the upcoming Ask the experts Q&A webinar will be released here early next week.

Please send your questions beforehand to imaccomms@auckland.ac.nz. There is a strict deadline for questions of midday Wednesday 9 February so we have time to ensure we can answer them.

Ngā mihi 
Immunisation Advisory Centre team 

Kia ora koutou,
Further to the communications distributed yesterday, Wednesday 2 February, regarding the decrease in the standard interval between the completion of a primary course and receiving a booster dose, this message is to confirm the decrease in standard interval will only apply to booster doses of Pfizer.

Click here to read the full update

Kia ora koutou,

The government has announced bringing forward COVID-19 boosters from 6 months to 4 months after the completion of a primary course dose. This is in line with current evidence showing booster doses substantially raise vaccine effectiveness to approximately 80% against Omicron (and over 90% for Delta).

Changes to the COVID Immunisation Register (CIR)
To support consumers to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand, an update has been made in the COVID Immunisation Register (CIR) to decrease the standard gap between the completion of a primary course and receiving a booster dose from 6 months to 4 months.

Kia ora koutou,

To support consumers to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in New Zealand, an update has been made in Book My Vaccine (BMV) to automatically extend the expiry date of access codes currently set to expire on 31 December 2021. This means any access codes that have an expiry date of 31 December 2021 will automatically extend to 30 June 2023.
Please note the status of the access code will not change i.e. deactivated access codes will remain so, unless requested to be activated again.

Please direct any questions or support requirements to
help@C-19imms.min.health.nz or call the team on 0800 223 987.

• Please note these channels are currently monitored 8am – 8pm, Monday – Sunday
• If contacting via email (recommended), please provide a detailed description of the issue including:
  • Whether your issue relates to BMV
  • Your full name
  • Your mobile number so the resolver can contact you to resolve the issue

Thank you for your ongoing commitment in combatting COVID-19.
​
Ngā mihi nui,
COVID Vaccine and Immunisation Programme

Booter Vaccination Update:

21/12/2021: The NZ government has announced that booster vaccinations will be reduced from 6 months to 4 months.

Click here for the Poster that can be displayed at Vaccination Sites

Why vaccinations are mandatoryHealth and disability, education, Fire and Emergency and correctional workforces are key public service sectors that each face particular and different challenges posed by COVID-19. This may be because they work with populations that either are unable to be vaccinated (education and health), are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (health and corrections), or where outbreaks have occurred overseas (correctional facilities).
While each workforce has its own particular set of risk factors, vaccination is a vital measure in common for reducing infection and transmission.
In education, for instance, although New Zealand and international experience indicates classroom teaching presents a low risk of spreading COVID-19, vaccination is a highly effective way of further reducing risk when used together with ventilation measures, staying home if sick (and getting tested), face coverings (where applicable) and physical distancing.
Considering the important roles these workers undertake and the population groups they work with, as well as whānau and members of the wider community, it is therefore critical for staff working in these key sectors to be vaccinated. While most people in these sectors have already been vaccinated, complete protection across these sectors is critical to the country’s successful management of COVID-19.

Click here for the full update

There were 18,880 first and second vaccine doses administered yesterday, made up of 6,496 first doses and 12,384 second doses. To date, 92% of eligible people in New Zealand have had their first dose and 84% are fully vaccinated.

As of 9am today, more than 1,664,000 million requests for a My Vaccine Pass had been processed.

COVID-19 vaccine updateTotal first and second vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 7,386,242: 3,853,592 first doses (92%); 3,532,650 second doses (84%) 
Click here for more information

News article
22 November 2021

​The Ministry has updated the position on the use of saliva for diagnostic testing for COVID-19. This means saliva testing for surveillance purposes for some groups of workers can be reduced from twice weekly to once a week, and there is no need for a follow-up nasopharyngeal swab to confirm a positive saliva test result.
Effective immediately, permitted workers crossing the Alert Level boundary who have chosen saliva testing to meet their testing requirements will only need one saliva test within a seven-day period not two saliva tests. From 15 December permitted workers will need proof of being fully vaccinated or proof of a test taken no more than seven days prior to crossing the boundary.

Click here for more information

Additional information: Third Primary Dose
Yesterday we announced a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine would be available for people who are severely immuncompromised. We anticipate this option will only be suitable for a very small group of the population.