'Get your act together' - elderly waiting hours for Covid-19 vaccine

From Checkpoint, 5:12 pm on 4 May 2021

A Northland Grey Power representative says it should not be so hard for seniors to get their Covid-19 jab and it is stressing people out.

Ron Thompson is calling on health officials to get their act together and bring GPs in on the rollout.

"It's a shambles. I've got a good mate... he's been trying to phone them. He's got a serious problem - an anuerysm problem and he's petrified of that. He wants to get his injection to cover all bases. 

"And he can't get any satisfaction on the phone, his wife sent emails, and emails haven't been answered."

Thompson has also heard from two other men who cannot get a vaccination booked. 

"Now I'm finding there's been people down there queuing. They've waited two to three hours. That's ridiculous. Why can't our local doctors send the number of patients or clients they've got into a control centre and just process it. With these computers these can do everything."

Ideally, Thompson would like to go to his GP for the vaccination, but they do not have the right refridgeration. 

"Why can't you get a refrigerated truck and put the vaccines in and just say to the doctors: 'This is an emergency, our surgery will concentrate on vaccines."
 
His message to officials overseeing the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Northland is to "have a look at it and get your act together".