COVID-19 Update From The New Zealand Government: Booster Interval Reduced From 4 To 3 Months

The time between when you received your second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and when you are able to get your booster jab has been reduced from 4 months to 3 months.

This means from Friday 4 February, people aged 18 or older can get their COVID-19 Pfizer booster 3 months after receiving their second dose of vaccination. 

Boosters lower the chances of getting very sick and being hospitalised from COVID-19 - including Omicron - and will help slow the spread of the virus.

Book an appointment for a booster dose at BookMyVaccine.nz or by calling the COVID Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26.

36 million additional rapid antigen tests (RATs) have been secured

These additional tests are on top of the 16.9 million RATs already confirmed for delivery in February.

Along with the 5.1 million tests already in the country, there will be over 55 million in the coming 2 months available for use.

Modeling shows at the peak of an Omicron outbreak 9 million RATs will likely be used. In total, 123 million RATs have been ordered through to June.

In the past week, 2 more types of RATs have been approved for use in New Zealand, bringing the total number to 11, with several more going through the approval process.

Response continues as part of the Omicron plan

The Omicron plan will start to integrate RATs into testing to ensure a return-to-work programme for critical businesses.

New Zealand remains in the early stages of an Omicron outbreak and cases will continue to grow. The response aims to slow down the spread and protect people who are at highest risk from getting really sick.

The country has been in the Red setting of the COVID-19 Protection Framework for just over a week. Good progress is being made to increase vaccine protection - in the last week there has been a 24% increase in people getting boosted and 67% of eligible people are have now received their booster jab.

The Omicron plan can be found here. 

Resources

Key COVID-19 information in Te Reo Māori and over 35 other languages, plus accessible formats for the disabled community, is available from the Unite Against COVID-19 website.

Information is available in NZ Sign Language, large print & audio, easy read.

Information for Pacific peoples.

Useful posters for your workplace or community.

Financial support for individuals, whānau, foreign nationals, and businesses. 

Up-to-date Alert Level information.

Case information and numbers from the Ministry of Health.

Contact information

Call Healthline if you have symptoms 0800 358 5453.

Need to talk? For mental health help, call or text 1737.

Free helpline for businesses, offering advice and access to Government business support, HR and general business advice and access to online resources and webinars.

Call 0800 500 362 for North Island, or 0800 50 50 96 for South Island.

Report issues and people or businesses not following advice to COVID-19 Compliance Centre.

Get the latest information on our website or Facebook.

This information is provided as part of a regular update from the DPMC COVID-19 Group.

© Scoop Media