Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Queenstown Central among least boosted suburbs

By Rowan Quinn of RNZ

Queenstown Central is without doubt one of the least boosted suburbs within the nation, because the city offers with its first recognized Omicron instances.

Ministry of Well being knowledge reveals the share of eligible individuals – these over 18 – who’ve had a booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine in every statistical suburb within the nation.

Solely a couple of quarter of over-18s in Queenstown Central and neighbouring Warren Park have been boosted.

Different suburbs within the space fared higher however the Queenstown district as an entire was the second least boosted of any district or metropolis council space (47 per cent), behind Otorohanga (44 per cent).

Well being consultants stated the booster was the perfect safety in opposition to each catching and getting severely in poor health from the Omicron variant.

Southern DHB Covid-19 vaccine rollout programme lead Karl Metzler urged individuals to roll up their sleeves in gentle of the confirmed instances.

“Some individuals might have been taking a wait-and-see strategy, nonetheless it takes about two weeks  after vaccination  for the physique to construct  safety  in opposition to Covid-19, so now’s the time to behave,” he stated.

Different suburbs with 30 per cent or much less of the eligible inhabitants vaccinated included Taungatara in Taranaki, and Higher Riccarton in Christchurch.

The Gisborne suburb of Lytton was probably the most boosted within the nation, with 83 per cent of these eligible having taken up the third shot.

Daelyn in Nelson Marlborough, Otamatea in Whanganui, and Waikanae Park on the Kāpiti Coast, have been among the many subsequent highest, all with percentages within the late 70s.

When it got here to district or metropolis council areas, Kaikōura was probably the most boosted on 67 per cent, adopted carefully by Nelson (66), Gray District (65) and Marlborough (65).

The Authorities’s technical advisory group is reviewing whether or not these over 12 will quickly have the ability to get a booster, with recommendation anticipated this month.