by New Zealands first Covid-19 mass vaccination event has begun with more than 3500 people vaccinated on Friday.
More than 16,000 people are expected to be turn out at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, South Auckland, to get their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine over three days.
The roll-out hasnt been without hiccups, as only about 3000 people of the first 12,500 invited to the event accepted, before the invitation was widened to a further 140,000.
But organisers are confident they have reached enough people and done the math to make sure the event is a success, Auckland DHBs Alex Pimm said.
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As of 4.30pm, more than 3500 people had been vaccinated, with the centre open for another three hours.
The first wave of arrivals to be vaccinated at the Vodafone Events Centre.
Twelve vaccinators have been working in 242 booths and more than 3000 lollipops have been given out.
One jab is expected to happen every 90 seconds.
Pimm said the event so far has been a resounding success.
We have been delighted to have such a fantastic turnout, which helps to demonstrate that theres a very strong appetite for this type of event in Aotearoa.
It has been great to be at the event today and see everyone in positive spirits, and people have been very appreciative of the work our vaccinators are doing to get through such a large number of people.
Earlier on Friday, a backlog of queues was already building up as many arrived early for their appointments.
The Vodafone Events Centre, ready to receive its first wave of locals.
A Stuff reporter at the scene said there were just over 100 people in line to sign in ahead of catching the bus to the events centre to be jabbed.
MIT nursing student Shauna Kulatea had been waiting close to an hour for her appointment, by 11.45am.
I thought we just came and got straight on the bus, she said.
But now Im kind of regretting coming to this one. There are heaps coming early, so itll probably be two hours by the end.
Dr Ayesha Verrall says Auckland’s first mass Covid-19 jab event is like the “Olympics of vaccination”.
Were really starting to see things scale up here, and I like to call today the Olympics of vaccination, because of the large scale well be operating at, Acting Minister for Covid-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
tara local Stefan Faasalele said he was happy to come along and get his vaccination and encouraged other members of the Polynesian community to get vaccinated too.
He said it was chaos at MIT Manukau where people were getting on buses to come to the event.
There were some people pushing in line and who didnt know which bus they were supposed to be getting on, he said.
Matt Hannant, programme director for the NRHCC Covid-19 vaccination programme, said they had put on additional registration staff to help register people more quickly to clear through the backlog.
People were encouraged to arrive at the time of their appointment so they can register quickly to help manage flow, he said.
Acting Minister for Covid-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall.
Politically, there has also been some opposition to the mass event, with National Party leader Judith Collins telling reporters on Wednesday the Government should be favouring GPs and pharmacies for the wider roll-out ahead of mass vaccination events.
She believed evidence showed the events were not as effective as smaller scale operations at places those getting a jab would know and trust those administering the vaccine.
But Verrall said it was a test event and was solely about volume vaccination, and the vaccine would be rolled out through pharmacies and GPs soon.
Meanwhile, Auckland councillor Efeso Collins told Radio NZ earlier in the week, that communications to reach Mori, Pacific and vulnerable communities about the event had been an absolute failure.
The event will be held at the Vodafone Events Centre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with shuttles ferrying people between the MIT campus and the stadium.
At that point only 3000 people had booked in from the 12,000 invitations they had sent out.
Research has shown that the hesitancy, especially for Mori and Pacific communities, has declined over the last few months, and so by having the right people go into our homes, our churches, our marae, and take these messages, you’re going to get a much better response than what you’ve got at the moment, he told Radio NZ.
In response to questions about the communication surrounding event, Verrall said officials would be taking a look at how the event was run once it was over and done with.
Who can get vaccinated at the event?
More than 16,000 people are booked into the event, after the invitation was extended beyond MIT staff, students and their whnau, to another 140,000 people in the South Auckland community.
There are 242 vaccination booths in the centre and 12 vaccinators working each day of the event.
Why this group?
Mori and Pacific people are more at risk of getting very sick from Covid-19.
Older Mori and Pacific people being cared for by whnau, people living with or caring for older Mori and Pacific people, and those living in the Counties Manukau District Health Board area who are over 65 were prioritised as group 2.
MIT was chosen to participate as it is the largest educator of Pasifika people at tertiary level in New Zealand and 14 per cent of all students are Mori.
Getting there
People cannot go directly to the Vodafone Events Centre, either by car or walk-in. Instead they should go to the Manukau Institute of Technology campus and use the shuttle buses provided to travel to the events centre, the co-ordination centre said.
How long will it take?
In total, the whole experience including getting the vaccine and the observation time will take about an hour, the co-ordination centre said.
Another mass vaccination event will be held six weeks later for second doses.
