11 Nov 2021

Thousands of DHB workers yet to receive first Covid-19 vaccine dose

6:23 am on 11 November 2021

About 4000 district health board workers have not yet been vaccinated, just a few days before the no jab no job deadline.

Healthcare people

Photo: 123rf

By Tuesday, all DHB staff must have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine or they will be stood down unless they have a medical exemption.

DHBs said 95 percent of the roughly 80,000 people who work for them across the country had had at least one shot.

But that meant there were still thousands unvaccinated in an already stretched workforce.

They included both clinical and non clinical staff.

DHB spokesperson Rosemary Clements said they were talking with those not yet vaccinated.

They expected people would keep getting a shot throughout the week, she said.

Because there was such a high rate of vaccination, patient care would not suffer and DHBs would manage any gaps caused by people being stood down, she said.

But some in the workforce worried there would be an impact in areas where they were already short-staffed.

The lowest vaccination rates were in the Bay of Plenty and the West Coast at 93 percent.

The highest were in South Canterbury and the three Auckland DHBs at 98 percent.

Waitematā DHB had the most double-vaxxed workforce at 96 percent, with Auckland, Counties Manukau and Lakes just behind on 95 percent.

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