Concentrated effort needed to up vax rates in suburbs

The Government has laid down the vaccination gauntlet, urging people to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible so that the country can have more than a Christmas picnic. The Ministry of Health yesterday released a suburb by suburb breakdown showing the vaccination uptake per 1000 people. The uptake is low in Northland, particularly the Far North and Hokianga. Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands also have low vaccination rates along with parts of the Waikato and Murupara in the Bay of Plenty. Areas doing well are Queenstown, Nelson/Marlborough, Timaru, Hawke's Bay and the Chatham Islands .. at least 90 per cent of people there have received their first vaccine along with residents in the Wellington suburbs of Eastbourne, Khandallah, Karori and Hutt Central. In Auckland, the CBD comes out on top followed by nearly all central suburbs and bottom of the list are the Counties Manukau suburbs of Papakura, Wattle Downs, Mangere, Clendon Park and the suburb of Otara where just 62 per cent of the suburb's residents have received their first dose and only 36 per cent are fully vaccinated. Nathan Rarere spoke with Manukau Ward Councillor Efeso Collins.