• VIDEO: Prime Minister's message to "protect yourself, protect your whānau by being vaccinated"

VIDEO: Prime Minister's message to "protect yourself, protect your whānau by being vaccinated"

Jacinda Ardern sidled up against car windows and preached the Government's message of vaccination in a whirlwind tour to the region today. 

The message, she says, is "nice and simple": "Protect yourself, protect your whānau by being vaccinated". 

At Totara Health's drive-thru vaccination clinic in Flaxmere, the Prime Minister not only spoke to staff on the frontline who have administered more than 15,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine but to those who were hesitant about receiving one.

"Some have said they want time and look I understand that but really just encouraging them to seek information from people they trust who have been vaccinated, we know that makes a difference to people and I would ask people to do that and to do that now, don't wait to go and find that information now, find that reassurance now and get vaccinated," she told Hawke's Bay App. 


Watch: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to Hawke's Bay. 

The Prime Minister's visit to the region attracted carloads of people, particularly rangitahi, at vaccination sites in Flaxmere and Hastings. 

Requesting no cameras, Ardern spoke to a young girl in the passenger seat of a car, who was nervous about getting the jab. 

Her mother, Gail Titi also got her first vaccine. She said she "really really wasn't sure" about getting it but her eight-month-old daughter swayed her. 

"I only got my first flu vaccination last year. I think I'm superwoman - I always think I'm good, I'm okay but I didn't want to risk it." 

Ardern says she "always gets excited" when people get their first dose. 

Totara Health General Manager Shane Gorst said their clinic was "pumping," with the PMs visit.

"We've had a bit of a focus over the last couple of days trying to get our rangitahi in because obviously, our youth are a little bit more hesitant." 

The provider currently has just under 3,000 Māori unvaccinated.

Part of their campaign to get as many people on their books vaccinated is to increase their workforce and speak to whānau on what their hesitancies are. 

He believes those who are an "absolute no" make up the "vast minority". Rather, a "huge group" are "I'm scared, I'm unsure, I'm listening a bit much to social media and not enough to the health side of things", but having trusted people to talk to is key.

"It doesn't matter what you're doing, if it's trying to get women to come in and have their smear done, or if it's trying to get men to have their Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessments, the first 50 per cent is easy, and the rest..." 

Currently, 76 per cent of Hawke's Bay's eligible population has received at least one dose, according to Ministry of Health figures. 

In west Flaxmere 29.9 per cent of west Flaxmere residents have been fully vaccinated compared to 37.3 per cent in south Flaxmere. For the two areas, figures are slightly lower when it comes to Māori , with 21.8 per cent fully vaccinated in west Flaxmere and 27.5 per cent in south Flaxmere.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri says Māori vaccination rates, while about 55 per cent, are "way off" their target of upwards of 90 per cent.  

"We've got to a point where the numbers are starting to plateau and now we need to reach the hard to reach people particularly Māori.

"That's why we're here in Flaxmere, it's one of many communities in Hawke's Bay like Maraenui, Pirimai, and Marewa, and of course you've got Mahora, Raureka and Camberley that also have very low Māori vaccination rates and so being here in Flaxmere is a way of supporting the drive to get more of our people into clinics to get vaccinated." 

 

For more free local news head to www.hbapp.co.nz

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