First Covid vaccination clinic for Queenstown - not for general public

From the SDHB and Queenstown Airport Corporation:

COVID-19 vaccination clinics will open in Queenstown and Fiordland over the next weeks, as Southern DHB progresses the rollout of the vaccine across the district. These mark the first clinics to open outside of the urban centres of Dunedin and Invercargill. 

 The clinics will commence in Queenstown on Saturday 10 April, and will be open to current border workers and those who would become part of the border workforce should a trans-Tasman bubble come into effect, their household contacts and our frontline health workers.

 “This is a further important milestone in our rollout of the COVID vaccine,” says Hamish Brown, who is leading the rollout of the vaccine programme for Southern DHB. “There are a number of logistical challenges involved in delivering the vaccine, and we sincerely appreciate the efforts of the health providers in these centres - in particular WellSouth Primary Health Network and the teams at Queenstown Medical Centre, Wakatipu Medical Centre and Fiordland Medical Practice - to get the vaccine to the border workforce, their household contacts and front-line health workers in these communities. 

 “This is a huge step to protect our workforces who have been on the frontline of our fight against COVID.” 

“The roll out of the vaccine programme in Southern has begun very well and this is an important next step. It marks the start of the vaccine being more widely available in locations across the district via the general practice network and we are pleased to work in partnership with the DHB on this,” says Andrew Swanson Dobbs, CEO, WellSouth Primary Health Network.

The Queenstown clinics will run on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April from 9.30am to 4pm.  Week-day clinics run from Monday 12 April to Thursday 15 April from 5.30pm to 8pm. The clinics will be centrally located in Queenstown. 

The Fiordland clinic will be located in Te Anau, and run from Tuesday 13 April until Friday 16 April, with times to be confirmed. 

Further clinics for frontline health workers in rural areas of the Southern district will be progressively opened from mid-April, and more information will be provided on these as it becomes available.  

 Bookings are essential for all clinics. 

To schedule a vaccine appointment, frontline health workers are asked to complete a web form. It can also be found on the Southern Health website – www.southernhealth.nz/COVID-19. Click on the vaccination tab for frontline health workers to locate the form. 

Border workers and their household contacts will be contacted through border employers.

Please note, these clinics are not for the general public. Vaccination for the general public is expected to commence in July. Further information on when other groups in the population are likely to receive a vaccine can be found at Unite Against COVID-19 website.

From the Queensotwn Airport Corporation:

Queenstown Airport welcomes the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Queenstown over the coming fortnight.
 
Queenstown Airport Corporation Chief Executive, Colin Keel said: "We have been working in partnership with Southern District Health Board throughout the past year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that we continue to have robust health protocols in place at Queenstown Airport,"
 
"We are pleased that the vaccination of staff at Queenstown Airport has been prioritised alongside other front-line workforces in anticipation of the Prime Minister’s announcement on Tuesday 6 April regarding the reopening of the border with Australia,"  
 
"While the vaccination of airport staff is not a requirement for the border reopening, it is an important and welcome step to protect our frontline staff and to provide peace of mind for the whole airport community."
 
The vaccination programme will begin in Queenstown on 10 April and all staff working at Queenstown Airport and their close contacts will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
 
"As a trans-Tasman only international airport, Queenstown Airport is also a “green zone” airport, and will have the approved protocols and procedures in place to safely manage the recommencement of flights to and from Australia," said Mr Keel.