Covid-19: Christchurch cases should be enough to 'shatter' vaccine hesitancy

Thursday, 28 October 2021

Christchurch’s latest Covid-19 cases should be enough to shatter any hesitancy people have about getting the vaccine, the city’s mayor Lianne Dalziel says.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Thursday Christchurch will stay in alert level 2 and there were no major exposure events linked to the cases, who live in Bishopdale in the city’s northwest.

Dalziel said the two Christchurch cases could easily become more, so people need to make sure they take every step to protect themselves and communities.

“That means people need to get tested – even if they only have mild symptoms – and people need to get vaccinated. If you haven’t had your first jab yet, please make getting vaccinated your number one priority,” she said.

**READ MORE:

* Covid-19: Locations of interest in Delta outbreak - October 28

* Covid-19: Canterbury close to 90 per cent vaccinated, but West Coast uptake slow

* Covid-19: Two cases in Christchurch, one may have been infectious in city for almost a fortnight

**

“The Auckland outbreak of Delta shows us we cannot afford to be complacent or think we are somehow immune from this virus. As it has been said many times before, Delta is a game-changer. It is a fast-spreading virus that can quickly get out of control.”

She said the key to avoiding a widespread community outbreak was by making sure everyone gets vaccinated and that we follow the public health advice.

“As I said earlier today, our mantra must be wear masks, use QR codes, and get a test if you’re not feeling well. If we all follow the public health advice and get vaccinated, we can hopefully avoid a situation where we need to move to a higher alert level.”

Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leeann​ Watson said she was relieved the city was staying in level 2 particularly given both the economic and social impact a lockdown would have had.

“There is a sense of relief, but I guess we have to ensure that sense of relief does not come with complacency. We need to continue to get [vaccination] rates up and ensure that people are doing the right things.”

Watson encouraged people to get vaccinated because that was the best form of protection to prevent the city from going into a lockdown.

Before Hipkins’ announcement, Māori health leader Michelle Turrall advised people living in east Christchurch to stay at home on Thursday morning until locations of interest were revealed.

Turrall, who chairs Mana Whenua Ki Waitaha, a group representing Ngāi Tahu and Māori health interests in Canterbury, said it was always a “when” and not an “if” as to when Covid-19 arrived in the city, and she hoped this would provide impetus for those who were hesitant to get vaccinated.

“It will be interesting to see what the response to Covid-19 will be in the community.”

Hipkins confirmed on Thursday the two cases lived in Bishopdale, in Christchurch’s northwest, where vaccination rates are high with 90 per cent of residents having received their first jab and about 70 per cent having their second.

The two cases share the same household.

New suburb-level vaccine data released on Wednesday showed east Christchurch vaccination rates remain stubbornly behind the rest of the city.

In Aranui, the lowest vaccinated suburb, just 68.7 per cent of residents have received their first dose – well behind the 87 per cent national average and 87.3 per cent for Christchurch as a whole.

Avonside, Bexley and Wainoni are also among the suburbs with the lowest first dose uptake.

Community groups have been concerned that Māori and vulnerable populations in the east are at high risk because of low uptake in first vaccinations. Just 52.9 per cent of Māori living Aranui have received their first dose.

South Island Whānau Ora commissioning agency Te Pūtahitanga te Waipounamu chief executive Helen Leahy said she was extremely concerned about a potential outbreak in Christchurch for Māori given low vaccine rates in some suburbs.

“What we’ve seen over the last 25 days in a row is that Māori have been the highest number of new cases.”

Leahy said messages to the unvaccinated needed to be positive. “It isn't a time for blame or for shame, it's a time for support.”

Māori health workers had been working relentlessly on the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in Māori communities, but they could not do it alone, she said.

As of the end of Tuesday, 89 per cent of about 480,000 eligible people in the Canterbury DHB area have had their first dose of the vaccine, while 68 per cent are fully vaccinated.

About 106,000 people from the region still need to have a second jab for the region to hit a 90 per cent fully-vaccinated rate.