Standby vaccination of health workers explained

Email response from Auckland DHB chief executive Ailsa Claire to New Zealand Doctor/Rata Aotearoa questions

New Zealand Doctor - Can you tell me how the invitations are made and confirmed?
Ailsa Claire - "Our plan is always to use unexpected opportunities that come up to vaccinate people who are next in the priority order to ensure that no vaccine is wasted.

"In Auckland metro DHBs, when a batch of vaccine is a day away from expiry, the local immunisation team process is to first ask employers at MIQ and the airport and port if any of their workforce can be made available to get their vaccination in the next 24 hours in addition to the scheduled vaccinations that day.

"We then look at workers identified on the government’s priority list as frontline health workers potentially exposed to COVID-19 while providing care. PHOs are managing this process for primary care.

"This includes collating details of people who can be contacted when we may need to supplement people booked to receive the vaccine. The DHB notifies the PHOs every day of the number of vaccine slots that may be available and notifications are sent to those on the priority list asking if they can make the appointment on time. A follow up text is then sent to the person to check their email for an invitation which must be presented when they arrive at the vaccination centre."

Q - Who is being invited? Is it frontline general practice, urgent care and hospital ED staff? Any other categories of health workers?
A - "The list is made up of workers from the list of frontline health workers defined by the government including from DHBs and the community."

"These have included a number of community workers at CTCs, as well as Māori and Pacific primary care partners, GPs and a number of hospital staff who are patient facing and/or potentially exposed to COVID-19 during their duties. Our hospitals regularly care for people who are undergoing managed isolation and quarantine (usually for non-Covid related health issues) so there is risk for frontline staff even when we have no community cases."

Q - Can you say how many have received the first dose of vaccine in this way so far in the Auckland region?
A - "Approximately 1,600 DHB and 1,600 non-DHB health workers have so far been vaccinated. We have also vaccinated over 8,000 border and MIQ workers (this number does not include their household contacts)."

Q - Is there geographical priority, with people who work in south Auckland being vaccinated first?
A - "It is done on a rotation basis, inviting a mix of both DHB and community staff and matched to the expected number of doses available."

Q - Are the invitations being made directly to urgent care clinics and general practices? Or are the invitations being made via PHOs?
A - "See response above"

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