Boosters

The push to boost adults in New Zealand has now officially started. In an effort to pre-emptively vaccinate people before omicron gets out into the community, the government changed the wait time for boosters from six months to four months. Technically this change went into affect on January 5th, but plenty of places went ahead and started boosting people ahead of that (rather arbitrary) date.

While it isn’t possible to get an appointment for a booster shot unless you’re past the six month mark, all of the walk-in and drive in clinics are open for business. (A full list can be found here.) I decided to get my booster on January 3rd, which happened to be exactly five months after I got my second dose, and decided to stop by a local Life Pharmacy on the way to the grocery store. I wasn’t entirely sure of the process, but I was able to check in at the front, wait a few minutes as there were six people in line ahead of me, and walk out fully vaccinated about thirty minutes later. The only information I needed was my name and address. No ID or MHI number needed as they were able to pull up all of my info right there.

My health records were automatically updated, and I noticed a few people after me getting international travel certificates printed out at the pharmacy while they sat through their fifteen minute post-shot observation period. The whole process was seamless.

My only complaint with the booster rollout is that it isn’t yet possible to make an appointment. What’s the holdup if boosters can be booked for people who are six months out? It was quite easy and quick to get my jab, but I could imagine long waits as people rush for booster shots. A lot of logistical problems could be avoided with an update to the MyVaccine Booking website. (Side note - this is the same complaint I have for kids boosters which are set to be rolled out on the 17th. Who on earth wants to gamble there there won’t be a wait with kids in tow?!?!)

I’m cautiously optimistic that people will choose to get boosted, though certainly the naysayers are the loudest bunch. Everyone in New Zealand is watching what is happening overseas - particularly in our closest neighbour, Australia - and bracing for what might come next. We’ve still living relatively covid-free community (albeit with many more public health measures than six months ago thanks to the August Delta outbreak which is still simmering along with a 7 day average of around 32 community cases per day) but the general consensus is that this is the calm before the storm. Exactly how rocky the storm will be is still to be determined. I’m hopeful that we can get our kids immunised before omicron gets lose in the community.