immunisation

Kawerau Super Saturday – Town Hall 10am-3pm

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged COVID Vaccination COVID-19 Delta health promotion immunisation Super Saturday vaccination on by

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.

Influenza Vaccine Update 5 May 2020

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged flu flu jab flu shot immunisation influenza vaccination on by

We have supplies of Influenza vaccine which in now available for everyone that would like to protect themselves from Influenza. If you would like a vaccine just come down to the surgery between 9am and 3pm and knock on the door.

Initially only those over 65 or those under 65 with chronic conditions who were eligible for funded vaccinations could be vaccinated. We can now offer vaccination to those who are not eligible for funded vaccines and wish to purchase a dose.

We have administered a record number of vaccines over the past weeks and this with the COVID-19 lockdown means that we have a very low incidence of influenza symptoms currently. If you would like to get a vaccination in anticipation of the lowering of alert levels and increased social contact please contact the surgery. If you are eligible for a funded vaccine it will be free. If not the cost is $30 for enrolled patients or $35 for visitors to the practice.

Influenza Vaccine Update 4 May 2020

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged flu flu jab flu shot flu vacc immunisation inluenza vaccination on by

We have supplies of Influenza vaccine which in now available for everyone that would like to protect themselves from Influenza.

Initially only those over 65 or those under 65 with chronic conditions who were eligible for funded vaccinations could be vaccinated. We can now offer vaccination to those who are not eligible for funded vaccines and wish to purchase a dose.

We have administered a record number of vaccines over the past weeks and this with the COVID-19 lockdown means that we have a very low incidence of influenza symptoms currently. If you would like to get a vaccination in anticipation of the lowering of alert levels and increased social contact please contact the surgery. If you are eligible for a funded vaccine it will be free. If not the cost is $30 for enrolled patients or $35 for visitors to the practice.

Snow White’s Immunisation Day

This entry was posted in Health promotion News and tagged health promotion immunisation measles preventable disease on by

Snow White visits the Tarawera Medical Centre for an Immunisation Day

With the measles outbreak centred in Auckland the nurses  have been extremely busy with immunisations to ensure all who want protection have been able to receive it. This week Snow White and her helper appeared to help with the effort and impressed young and old. This was an initiative of Michele Pearson-Garcia who has recently joined the nursing team. She was supported by all the staff including Tracy Wilson who joined the fun in costume too.

Tracy Wilson and Michele Pearson-Garcia in costume for the Snow White Immunisation Day

The measles outbreak is a timely reminder not to become complacent about illnesses that many have forgotten. Some of us grew up in an age when measles, whooping cough, mumps, rubella were a right of passage. These had long term implications for some and it was just accepted as random tragedy as there was no way of preventing it. To better understand this issue the Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora website has a number of resouces including this video.

 

 

Winter illnesses

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged colds flu health promotion immunisation influenza Tarawera Medical Centre winter on by

The winter season is well and truly upon us with this cold snap and the past few weeks has seen a real run of colds and the first real cases of influenza for the year. Remember that most winter illnesses are caused by viruses and don’t benefit from, nor respond to, antibiotic treatment. Unnecessary use of antibiotics enables bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance so it is unwise to take an antibiotic “left over” from a previous course prescribed for you or someone else. The old fashioned advice of using Paracetamol to help fevers, aches and pains, along with some rest and plenty of fluids remains valid today. Lozenges, gargles and lemon drinks can all help soothe the symptoms while your immune system overcomes the infection. Covering your face when coughing or sneezing, using disposable tissues and washing hands can help limit the spread of infection. Morning walk-in clinics for our enrolled patients are running at full capacity so there can be a bit of a wait. Influenza is vaccine preventable and it’s not too late to have the vaccine which is free to over 65s and others with certain conditions.

This page from the NHS on Winter Illnesses has some interesting facts