Covid-19: ‘Don’t wait’, get ready: Jacinda Ardern says Kiwis need to rely on boosters with MIQ going – Stuff.co.nz

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has warned that the Omicron strain of Covid-19 will take off eventually.

At a new vaccination centre on Aucklands waterfront on Friday, Ardern said there was no time to waste in getting vaccinated, and also urged Kiwis to prepare to self-isolate.

With the winding down of MIQ, and the increasing likelihood of catching Covid-19 in New Zealand, she said people would not be able to rely on quarantine if they needed to isolate.

Home isolation would become the new normal, and she said that could require making a plan about what to do if you live with vulnerable whnau. Ultimately, she stressed the importance of getting booster shots which was the main protection from Covid-19.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stressed the importance of booster shots while visiting a vaccination site in The Cloud on Aucklands waterfront.

More than 1.4 million people had been boosted by Friday, which was more than a third of the adult population. Ardern said that, with boosters now available to almost everyone, she hoped to see that number rise dramatically over the coming days.

READ MORE:* Covid-19 NZ: Border reopening to begin from late February, to proceed in five stages* Covid-19 Omicron: Border opening and future of MIQ to be revealed* Extra 100,000 Mori become eligible for booster shots on Friday, PM announces

But when Aucklands newest vaccination centre, at The Cloud, opened on Friday morning there were no crowds rushing through the doors.

Over time we expect to see that urgency increase, because hundreds of thousands of people became eligible today, she said.

DAVID WHITE/STUFF

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the border will start re-opening in phases, starting with self-isolation requirements for fully vaccinated citizens returning from Australia on February 27.

Dont wait. Once Omicron really takes off, there isnt that same period of time to get the full benefit of your vaccine. Please, dont delay. Get it today.

The Governments plan to open the border would not be delayed by low booster rates, she said. From late February, citizens in Australia and critical workers would start to be able to self-isolate rather than enter MIQ when they came to New Zealand.

In the future, we have to prepare for a larger number of cases. There will not be the same capacity to provide accommodation that we have in the past, she said, when asked if MIQ would be available for people needing to isolate from vulnerable whnau members.

The Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday that Omicron was the dominant variant present in New Zealand.

The Government then reduced the interval between a second dose and booster shot for people aged of 18, from four to three months. As a result, from Friday 92 per cent of people who had been vaccinated were eligible for their booster shot.

She said the Government was focused on ensuring health services would still be able to provide care when Omicron peaked.

This time of year does have some added benefits in terms of health measures because it does mean people are outside, able to social distance and have better ventilation.

All of that does help with management, she said, when asked if the Government was hoping Omicron cases would peak before winter.

On Friday, 209 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed. The Ministry of Health also said it expected to achieve 90 per cent vaccination for Mori by the end of Friday.

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Covid-19: 'Don't wait', get ready: Jacinda Ardern says Kiwis need to rely on boosters with MIQ going - Stuff.co.nz