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A district health board blamed the Health Ministry for failures and delays in launching the Covid-19 vaccine, claiming it had “created space” for anti-vaccines and conspiracy theories to take hold.
A document sent to the Hawke’s Bay District Board of Health on Tuesday, titled “ March 2021 Vaccination and Immunization Program Launch Progress Report, ” details the difficulties and delays that staff had experienced, which the DHB attributed to failures in the Ministry’s processes.
It said: “The Ministry of Health has been slow to start the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for public awareness. This has created a space for messages from conspiracy and anti-vaccine theorists to become well established, especially on social media. “
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The newspaper also said that there was “significant pressure from the Government and the Ministry of Health to expedite delivery extremely quickly,” but the ability to do so “is hampered by difficulties experienced in obtaining vaccinators through the modules. of online training and authorization to deliver the vaccination. ” vaccine”.
Progress in getting other healthcare providers to sign up to provide vaccines has also been hampered by uncertainty about funding, according to the newspaper.
ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
The Ministry of Health’s slowness in initiating public awareness of the vaccination program has created space for conspiracy theorists to establish their message, says Hawke’s Bay DHB. (File image)
“The Ministry of Health has not yet published its financing model for external providers and this lack of certainty may affect primary care providers to commit to vaccination practices,” the document said.
However, when you contact him Things, a DHB officials said the concerns raised with the board on Tuesday were now “historic.”
Hawke’s Bay DHB began vaccinating its medical staff on Saturday.
Like the other 19 DHBs, Hawke’s Bay is stepping up its vaccination campaign. This includes establishing vaccination centers, training people to administer vaccines, and informing the public about how to get vaccinated.
There are 350 licensed vaccinators in Hawke’s Bay, most of whom are tied to their current duties, including the ongoing measles, mumps and rubella recovery program.
The flu vaccination season begins in a few weeks and the document says there is already a “significant burden for primary care, occupational health and pharmaceutical vaccinators” and there is a risk that the DHB will not increase its capacity within the times required.
The nature of the Pfizer vaccine, including its rapid expiration date after being removed from cold storage, and the unknown nature of the vials, means that many providers will not be able to administer the vaccines.
On top of all that, the Ministry has been too slow to get things going, the newspaper says.
David Goldman / AP
The nature of the Pfizer vaccine, including its rapid expiration date after being removed from cold storage, and the unknown nature of the vials, means that many providers will not be able to administer the vaccines. (File image)
DHB’s Covid Vaccine Program Director Ngaira Harker said Things the comments only referred to the initial “level 1” workers and were “historical”.
He said that a broader public campaign had been launched and that “DHB is working in partnership with the Ministry on implementation,” which “has gone extremely well and has been well received.”
HAMISH MCNEILY / THINGS
The opening of the Dunedin COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
Problems with the online training system have been resolved, Harker said. “We have fully trained 40 vaccinators in the administration of the Pfizer vaccine so far, and we are currently training another 100,” he said.
Regarding funding from other vaccine providers, Harker said “DHB looks forward to the launch of the funding model, which it hopes to receive soon.”
Health Ministry spokeswoman Lindsay Davis said a media campaign began on March 13 in all major newspapers. But the deployment had so far gone smoothly.
“Radio advertising has also developed and began airing the week of March 15, and radio stations iwi and Pacific went online the week of March 22,” he added.
“As the vaccine program is implemented, the advertising campaign will gain momentum with a focus on encouraging all of Aotearoa to get vaccinated. We will work with a variety of agencies to make sure the campaign resonates with different audiences. “
However, the Ministry was still working through its third-party funding model.
“There are many complex problems involved,” he said. “We hope to have this finalized very soon.”
