Kawerau Super Saturday – Town Hall 10am-3pm

COVID-19 Delta is coming. The situation in Auckland makes it clear that we will not be eliminating Delta the way we managed with the initial Alpha variant of COVID-19. We need to protect ourselves and those we care about before it arrives in the Bay of Plenty and vaccination is the most effective way of doing this. The sooner we do this the sooner we will get back to some kind of normal.

Super Saturday is an opportunity to stand up and make the choice to protect yourself and those around you for when Delta arrives. In Kawerau the vaccination clinic will be open in the Town Hall from 10am to 3pm.

In Auckland and the rest of the world data clearly shows that Delta is a disease that targets the unvaccinated. While vaccination is not a guarantee that you won’t catch it, it is a far more prevalent and serious disease among the unvaccinated. Do your bit to protect yourself, small children who cannot yet be vaccinated and other vulnerable people in your community.

If you want to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with one of our doctors or nurses we are happy to talk with you and there is no charge. This can be done as phone consultation if more convenient.

For more information see Karawhiua and the Unite Against COVID-19 websites.

The following videos in Maori and English explain how the vaccine works.

Pop-up/Walk-in COVID Vaccination Clinics in Kawerau

The DHB has advised that they are sending a team to Kawerau to do some pop-up/walk-in vaccination clinics next Wednesday 22nd and Saturday 25th September. These clinics are in addition to the regular vaccination clinics at Firmin Lodge. As always you can book a vaccine by phoning 0800 829 001 or going online to www.bookmyvacine.co.nz

These clinics will be located at the Kawerau Town Hall, and vaccinations are available to everyone 12+ from 10am until 3pm.  No bookings needed.

It is crucial that we all play our part to minimise the risk of COVID-19 to our community, especially those who may be more vulnerable than we personally may be. Getting vaccinated is the one way you can do this at an individual level.

If you feel you need to educate yourself more please choose your resources wisely and use reputable, science and evidence based resources such Karawhiua rather than a random opinion on social media.

COVID Delta Level 4 – 20 August 2020 update.

This week’s confirmation that the Delta variant of COVID-19 was spreading in the community was disappointing but not unexpected. The rapid lockdown was the only safe response and the Tarawera Medical Centre team of staff and patients adjusted rapidly back to level 4 precautions. Today’s update that level 4 will last through until at least next Wednesday for all of New Zealand was predictable. We will be operating under tighter restrictions to those we have been accustomed to for some time.

This means the surgery door is again closed and all possible consultations need to be conducted remotely. This has proceeded remarkably smoothly without the steep learning curve of the 2020 lockdown.

As before we are available to help with any issues but need to do it in a safe way. All initial contact will be by phone so if you would like to discuss a health issue please phone. You will be put on the list for telephone triage by a nurse who will then arrange a doctor call or book a time for assessment if needed. The Delta variant means that most consultations that were previously in our cabin will now be done with patients still in their car where possible. It is crucial that anyone with symptoms gets tested and the testing station at the Ron Hardie Recreation Centre has been a great help with this. This testing station will be open on Saturday 21 August 10am to 4pm. As always COVID-19 testing is free.

Make sure to have your NZ COVID Tracer app up to date so you can use it to scan in when attending essential services including the Tarawera Medical Centre. It is far more efficient than having to fill in paper based registers. The app makes contact tracing much more rapid and with the shorter incubation of the Delta variant this can be essential to limiting chains of transmission.

Repeat prescriptions are now easier to achieve with electronic prescribing. If you let us know which Pharmacy you use we can send the script directly to them without having to print a copy for most medicines. There is no need to panic and order medicines well before they are due, a week or so before you run out is adequate.

Ongoing vaccination is crucial to managing COVID-19. As such the vaccination programme continues even in lockdown with access open now to anyone over 40 and children 12-15 years old of eligible adults who can attend for vaccination with their parents. From next Wednesday 25 August bookings will open for anyone over 30 and on Wednesday 1 September for everyone over 12. Booking in by phoning 0800 829 001 for your vaccine is one thing you can personally do to help manage this pandemic.

As with the last lockdown, PathLab has reduced their cover to Tuesdays and Thursday as fewer patients are being referred for tests during lockdown.

COVID Vaccinations – Group 4

COVID vaccination has now been extended to Group 4 which includes all over the age of 60. This includes anyone over 16 with certain underlying conditions. Please visit the the DHB Covid Vaccination website for current details.

Vaccinations are by appointment only so please phone 0800 829 001 to book your appointment.