“We are finding people who need more than a health check-up”
“It was a big week, last week,” says Mr Shepherd-Wipiiti (Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Kahu). “We’ve got a good system in place, and we are getting deeper into the community.”
Planning is now underway with the Ministry of Social Development and Whānau Ora commissioning agency, Rangitāmiro, should the response need to be scaled up, he says.
It is still impossible to estimate how long the outbreak will continue, but Mr Shepherd-Wipiiti says his team is bracing for a long tail.
It has taken a big effort, he says, with trust staff operating four fixed and seven mobile vaccination sites, and additional vaccinators provided by Plunket running a clinic on Saturday to allow workers a day off.
“That’s one thing we learned from COVID-19,” he says. “You can respond with urgency, but you have to be able to continue your core business as well. Hopefully, we will be able to carry both roles over the coming weeks.”
