Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has joined the ranks of nearly 70,000 fully vaccinated Kiwis when she got her second Covid jab today (Wednesday) at Hamilton’s Te Awa vaccination centre.
“Really, really easy,” said the Prime Minister after receiving the injection from Waikato DHB registered nurse, Gordana Zezich.
Zeaich also gave Prime Minister a lollipop and a sticker.
“That’s a good start but, from today, our programme significantly expands as we enter a new phase in our rollout,” Prime Minister Ardern said at the Covid update briefing.
“That’s hardly a tradeoff when we think about what protection it provides,” she said.
The vaccine rollout has been now extended to the group 4 of the general population- starting with those aged 60 and over.
“You don’t need to look far to see why (vaccination) is so important,” Ardern said. “The delta variant is spreading around the world. Even nations with high rates of vaccination are seeing daily cases in the tens of thousands, and hospitalisations and deaths.”
When asked if there was any reaction after her first jab, the only side effect of her first vaccine was a “dead arm”, she answered.
Ardern had received her first dose of the Pfizer jab at Manurewa Marae in South Auckland on 18 June. At that time she had commented that it was even easier than getting the flu jab.
According to the PM, Tuesday was a record day for vaccinations, with 38,600 doses administered around the country.
“Over the past week there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of vaccines administered – 204,943 in the past seven days – with that number is set to keep rising.”
70% of Kiwis 65 and over have now had their vaccinations or are booked to have them, she said.
Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall was also at the Covid briefing. She later went to the Grey Power Hamilton’s organised meeting at the Age Concern venue where she addressed a small number of members.
Hamilton’s Te Awa vaccination centre, where the PM had her second shot today, is Waikato’s largest and is a partnership between iwi Waikato Tainui and the Waikato DHB.
According to Waikato District Health Board stats, about 5000 people were vaccinated there in the six days to Monday.
