Covid-19: Pockets of rural North Canterbury still lagging in vaccination rates
The vaccine roll-out is continuing to lag in pockets of rural North Canterbury.
Ministry of Health data shows Ashley Gorge in the Waimakariri district now has the Canterbury District Health Board’s (CDHB) slowest uptake with 79.3 per cent of eligible residents having received their first dose.
Seven out of 10 of the lowest first-dose vaccinated areas in the CDHB were in North Canterbury, including Pegasus Bay on 80.85 per cent of the eligible population, and Ashley Forest on 81.77 per cent.
Waitaha Primary Health chief executive Bill Eschenbach said there were “pockets of concern” in the Waimakariri district, but they were doing everything they could to reach them.
The Canterbury based primary health organisation uses a multi-faceted whānau ora approach to support people in rural communities, from Cheviot to south Ashburton, who find it harder to access healthcare.
Eschenbach said there were several reasons why some areas were behind, including farmers being too busy to get jabbed, but they were working to deliver vaccines in areas of concern.
“We are on the hard yards now, and we’ve got to think of every opportunity we have to vaccinate.”
This week the CDHB owned JabberWaka mobile vaccination motorhome would hit North Canterbury hot spots, Eschenbach confirmed, in an effort to take vaccinations to the community.
North Canterbury Federated Farmers president Caroline Amyes said distance to vaccination clinics had been an issue at a busy time of year with some farmers having to travel a two-hour round trip in order to get the jab.
“There’s been some complacency... It can be easy to say ‘we’ll do it next week’.”
Waimakariri district mayor Dan Gordon said the council had been encouraging vaccination through social and print media. “And I’ve been very public about getting my two doses.”
Gordon encouraged everyone who can to get vaccinated, saying he fully supported the vaccination.
Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey said it was “great” to see Canterbury catching up on vaccination rates after a slow start, but he wanted the CDHB to put measures in place to keep the momentum going.
He also wanted the CDHB to work with local education providers to get vaccinated by the end of the school year.
“Not everyone will have the time or resources to get to a vaccination clinic so allowing people to book a mobile vaccination over the phone or online could help rates to rise.”
Elsewhere in Canterbury, 10 suburbs with more than 500 people, now have 90 per cent of their eligible population fully vaccinated.
PHOTO: Waimakariri district mayor Dan Gordon getting his vaccination at the JabberWaka in Kaiapoi. The mobile home will be back out in North Canterbury to help increase vaccine rates.
Poll: Have you ever been bullied?
People associate bullying with children in schools, but it can actually stretch beyond childhood to workplaces or neighbourhoods.
This Friday is Pink Shirt Day, which began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new student was harassed for wearing pink. People across the globe are now encouraged to wear pink on this day to take a stand against bullying and promote inclusivity.
Have you or your whānau ever experienced bullying? Share your thoughts on Pink Shirt Day below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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81.6% Yes
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18% No
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0.3% Other - I'll share below
Where do you find the best bargains in Canterbury?
The first South Island edition of the Reduced to Clear outlet store opened in Christchurch’s South City mall this month. It sells end-of-the-line products, cancelled exports or short-dated items - similar to other discount grocers in the city such as Save More and BargainMe.
We're keen to hear from you - where do you find the best bargains in Canterbury? Who has the cheapest veges, the best deals on spices and nuts, the lowest price for petrol etc? What are your tips for dealing with cost of living increases? Comment below or email reporters@press.co.nz
Neighbourly Q&A: Renting rights with CAB's Sacha Green
We are continuing our Q&A sessions on Neighbourly. This week we have the amazing Sacha Green from Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand (CABNZ) who will be answering your questions about your renting rights.
A little bit about Sacha:
She has been working for CABNZ for 10 years and is passionate about empowering people with knowledge of their rights as well as ensuring access to justice.
She helps support the team of over 2,000 trained volunteers who deliver the CAB service in 80 neighbourhoods around Aotearoa by providing advice and support at a national level on a wide range of issues. One of Sacha’s work areas is leading the CAB’s social justice work on housing and tenancy issues.
Whether you're a flatmate, landlord, boarder or flatmate, you can leave a comment below and Sacha will share an answer on Wednesday from 9.30am. You may want to ask about notice periods, bond fulfillment, reasonable rent increases, or even whose responsibility it is to deal with mould in the home.
Join Sacha here on Wednesday at 9.30am. See you then!.
⇩ Share your question below ⇩
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