The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners welcomes the national call to action for all eligible Kiwis to get vaccinated on 16 October’s ‘Super Saturday’ event.
COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said now is the time to pull out all the stops to get New Zealanders vaccinated, and everyone has a part to play. "We’ve had a world leading response to COVID-19, now let’s have a world leading uptake of the vaccine."
College President and Wellington GP Dr Samantha Murton says, "Having widespread access will be key to making sure everyone can get their COVID-19 vaccination, and GPs will have a crucial role to play here.
"GPs across the country have stepped up hugely in the vaccine rollout while under extraordinary pressure. We recognise that this will add extra workload, but it is the right thing to do, and we are in discussion with the Ministry of Health to see how we can make this work."
General practitioners are experts in vaccinations. Year upon year general practices around the country roll out community wide programmes for childhood immunisations and the flu, and the COVID-19 vaccination is no different.
"The health of our patients is our priority and is why we haven’t hesitated to get involved in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination.
"I would encourage all practices who are willing and able to, to open your doors for Super Saturday and tell your patients to come on down and bring their whānau. Getting vaccinated is the best thing everyone can do to be protected from COVID-19 and reduce the potential burden on health services for the months to come."
As Minister Hipkins states, we have the opportunity to be the most vaccinated country in the world. A collective effort to raise the country’s vaccination rates now, will mean we can all enjoy the summer break we deserve with all the freedoms that brings.