First drive-through vaccination clinic starts up in Feilding
Thursday, 19 August 2021
Feilding Health Clinic opened the country’s first drive-through vaccination centre at Manfeild Park stadium on Thursday, as vaccinations restart following a stay due to the change to alert level 4.
The clinic’s base was not suitable to host vaccinations due to its size during the lockdown, prompting some innovative thinking from its managers.
Dr Bruce Stewart, clinical lead for covid-19 at the centre, said they always expected Covid-19 to resurface and a drive-through vaccination centre was the best option to get the jab to their patients in the most efficient way possible.
“It’s been done around the world quite successfully and I think it will work really well here.”
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Those booked in for their vaccine drove in one side of the stadium and were consulted by an administrator before pulling up to a vaccinator.
After the jab they waited at the front of the queue for 20 minutes under the supervision of staff before heading back home.
Pohangina man Steve Finch, 82, was scheduled to receive his second dose of the vaccine on Wednesday, but was pleased with the service of the medical staff at the new drive-through.
“It’s great. Last time we stood out in the rain to get it, but this is very efficient.”
Rob Dickens, 48, and his wife were impressed by how easy the process was.
“I think it’s great as a drive-through, you don't have to park up and go into the health centre, so they’ll probably get more done this way. You're just in and out the other end.”
About 300 people were booked a day, but Stewart hoped as the centre gained more vaccinations and staff they could increase their workload.
“I think we could get up to 1000 in a day.
“Other vaccination organisations will look at what we’re doing here with some interest. It will be a good model to allow us to vaccinate more people safely.”
Covid-19 vaccine co-ordinator Shona Wills had processed more than 140 people by 3pm.
She said any clinic that was able to create a similar system should get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
“It’s been good. It was working smoothly before, but this is actually working really well. We have not had any concerns so far.”
The MidCentral District Health Board area has the least number of general practices per resident in the country, so enabling those without a specific doctor to access the vaccine through the drive-through was a possibility, Stewart said.
Think Hauora chief executive Chiquita Hansen said the clinic was taking an innovative approach to delivering vaccines to its community.
'We believe this is a positive move in terms of offering Covid-19 vaccinations in another safe and accessible way.”
In a statement, MidCentral chief medical officer Kelvin Billinghurst said the drive-through had been in the works for weeks and was meeting all Ministry of Health guidelines, including social distancing and traffic control.
“This will likely become a more efficient option in maintaining vaccination capacity, while also providing an effective method to minimise Covid-19 transmission.
“This model could be used to achieve outcomes for specific populations, such as people in rural locations reliant on private vehicles, people with limited mobility or those with higher sensory needs.”
Other sites were being considered to take up the new drive-through option.
The Ministry of Health was approached for comment.