Photo: ODT filesGetting vaccine doses into the arms of some 1800 unvaccinated border workers is a top priority and should be done as quickly as possible, a leading public health expert says. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday a change to the Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order so it would apply to more border workers. As of July 9, there were still 1766 border workers who had not had a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the majority of them port workers. She said it was an "extraordinary" step to make vaccinations mandatory for privately-employed border workers, even though she said in April all border workers would need to be vaccinated or they would be redeployed. The unvaccinated workforce at the border was the weakest part of New Zealand’s Covid defences, he said.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 12, 2021 16:30 UTC