A new South Waikato COVID-19 community vaccination centre will open in Tokoroa on Monday 13 September. It is a partnership between community groups Raukawa Charitable Trust, South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services and Waikato District Health Board.
Vaccinations will be offered from Tuesday to Friday at a new Leith Place vaccination centre with a late night on Thursdays. On Saturdays, they will be delivered at a drive-through clinic at SWPICS’ Maraetai Road facility. Raukawa, DHB and SWPICS staff will work together to provide vaccinations.
Waikato COVID-19 vaccine programme lead Maree Munro says working in close partnership with local providers helped to deliver the best approach for a community.
“Raukawa and SWPICS are deeply involved in supporting the people of South Waikato and they know their community and its health needs really well,” Munro said. “They’ve been involved in the Waikato vaccination programme since it began and we’re grateful to have their knowledge and experience as we scale things up.”
“Māori and Pacific people are more at risk if they catch COVID-19 and vaccinating this group in big numbers is an important way we can protect the welfare and wellbeing of our community,” South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services CEO Akarere Henry said.
“By working collectively, we can vaccinate more people more quickly and we’ll be doing it in an environment where we hope everyone will feel safe and welcome.”
So far, over 315,000 vaccinations have been delivered across the Waikato. It will take until the end of the year to ensure everyone eligible has been given an opportunity to receive a vaccination.
Image credit: Ministry of Health