Mainfreight and Fonterra are stepping up as pilot workplaces for the Government’s general population COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the vaccine plans on Thursday which will be carried out in age bands.
New Zealanders over 60 will be offered a vaccination from July 28 and those over 55 from August 11. Those over 45 will receive invitations from mid to late August, those over 35 from mid to late September, and everyone else being eligible from October.
“We’re rolling out the vaccine based on age bands because it’s a simple approach most commonly used overseas and because the risk of COVID increases as you get older,” Ardern says.
People will receive an invitation from the Ministry of Health by email, text, mail or by phone and will be asked to use the new Book My Vaccine online national booking tool to book their first and second doses.
People will also be able to phone a new national vaccination booking call centre to make a booking if they wish.
“To reach those we need to in a timely way, we will be putting in place measures such as mass vaccine events, workplace vaccinations and vaccinations for entire rural and isolated communities all at once.
“The Ministry of Health is currently consulting with large New Zealand businesses and Business NZ,” Ardern says.
Mainfreight managing director Don Braid told RNZ’s Morning Report that the company put up its hand for the vaccine rollout to help “get the rules right” and get the procedures in place.
The trial will be run within the company’s Auckland operations where it has more than 2000 workers.
“If we can get this right and help other businesses with the procedures of how we’ve done it, then that’ll be good for all of New Zealand,” Braid says.
