New Zealand dispenses record number of jabs at 'Vaxathon'

Yeah I'm hoping things improve to the point where borders are easier to cross again. Both departing Japan and returning.

@Sanjinonosebleed. It's fine. We get it. You won't get a vaccine. However, people getting the vaccination and opening borders does in no way require a Boo from you. Sorry that borders will remain tough for you to negotiate, but it your choice.

They are on target for 90% of eligible people by the end of the year.

TrinityToday 07:56 pm JST

I spoke with a friend in NZ today. Hes dispairing, says the public is swept up in the “vaxathon” like its a religeous festival. He thinks NZ has one insane.

Yes clearly 90+% of NZ insane not the remainder

I spoke with a friend in NZ today. Hes dispairing

Sounds painful.

Anyway, good work from NZ. Slow off the mark with vaccines but picking up pace now.

theResidentOct. 16  05:47 pm JST

@Sanjinonosebleed. It's fine. We get it. You won't get a vaccine. However, people getting the vaccination and opening borders does in no way require a Boo from you. Sorry that borders will remain tough for you to negotiate, but it your choice.

It's a crapshoot and a matter of life and death. If you don't have respect for others or even yourself then you don't get invited to the party. It is your choice. My uncle died from this before a vaxx came out and I'm not taking chances. I got innoculated and I'm not playing roulette with my life or someone else's. i played the real roulette once in Reno and that was enough.

itsonlyrocknrollOct. 16  08:39 pm JST

Whether one agrees or otherwise with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern politically.

Jacinda Ardern has worked this pandemic with precision, the “Vaxathon” event , its PR sorcery. divination, a media focused deflection.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who chatted with motorists at a drive-through vaccination center in Wellington, initially set a target of 100,000 jabs for the day but upped that to 150,000 after the first target was met.

No other PM have come up with that stunt.

Whatever it takes. We can say what we want about her but she is doing her job. The US couldn't make that claim until Joe got into the WH. And Brazil certainly can't. So kudos to the Kiwi Lady.

theFuToday  08:43 am JST

Just some comparisons.

NZ population is 5.1M people. 268,021 km2

The Fukuoka-Kitakyushu metro area has about 5.5M people. The Fukuoka prefecture is just 4,986 km2, so more people in almost 54x less area.

People not living on top of each other can more easily stay distant, but getting them to show up for vaccination will be harder because they have farther to travel ... or need the vaccines to come to them. When I lived in small towns, we'd drive 2.5 hrs to the closest "big city" about every 6 months. It was a big deal.

Nonetheless the Kiwis seem to be doing an excellent job at this. And NZ isn't such a big nation and it's not on any continent but still, they seem to be determined to vaxx all they can. And the more the better. And they really need to more than before, it just turned springtime there.

Good. Hopefully travel will resume shortly.

a good ok vaxathon should do it!

Quote from NZ/UK Guardian......

New Zealand vaccinates 2.5% of its population on Saturday.........

Tess McClure, Aotearoa New Zealand correspondent for the Guardian, reports on the novel methods the government is deploying to get people vaccinated:

> New Zealand’s government is employing a host of increasingly weird and wonderful strategies, gimmicks and sweeteners in a bid to get the last 20% of its eligible population inoculated against Covid-19.

As its daily Covid case numbers rise and large parts of the country are locked down, the government is in a race against time, trying to push vaccination rates high enough to interrupt the spread of the virus and prevent a large-scale outbreak.

The national airline, Air New Zealand, announced this week it would be converting a 787 Dreamliner into a novel vaccination clinic, complete with the traditional snack service and option of in-flight entertainment during the 30-minute post-vaccine observation period.

Just some comparisons.

NZ population is 5.1M people. 268,021 km2

The Fukuoka-Kitakyushu metro area has about 5.5M people. The Fukuoka prefecture is just 4,986 km2, so more people in almost 54x less area.

People not living on top of each other can more easily stay distant, but getting them to show up for vaccination will be harder because they have farther to travel ... or need the vaccines to come to them. When I lived in small towns, we'd drive 2.5 hrs to the closest "big city" about every 6 months. It was a big deal.

When the pandemic started, and the virus was not as contagious as it is today, it was estimated that herd immunity might be achieved with a vaccination rate as low as 70%.

When the extremely contagious Delta variant became the primary strain around the world, it was estimated that herd immunity would not be achieved until at least 90% of the population were fully vaccinated.

New Zealand has been unable to contain the Delta variant, and is still far below the 90% threshold estimated as necessary to quell the pandemic.

slow to vaccinate because we allowed all the countries being ravaged by covid to vaccinate first.

theFu

Just some comparisons.

NZ population is 5.1M people. 268,021 km2

Yeah, but those comparisons are largely irrelevant. Because a large part of the population lives in cities, that are more densely populated.

Good. Hopefully travel will resume shortly.

Unfortunately, it does not work that way..when they start opening up.. both the infections and deaths (among comorbidity, unvaxxed folks) will go up.. just like what is happening in Singapore right now... and once this passes, only than will they transition from pandemic to endemic..

Whether one agrees or otherwise with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern politically.

Jacinda Ardern has worked this pandemic with precision, the “Vaxathon” event , its PR sorcery. divination, a media focused deflection.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who chatted with motorists at a drive-through vaccination center in Wellington, initially set a target of 100,000 jabs for the day but upped that to 150,000 after the first target was met.

No other PM have come up with that stunt.

Yes clearly 90+% of NZ insane not the remainder (sarcasm).

It wouldnt be the first time.

Oh, Jizimo, before you dive in, let me guess : hysterical. Walls closing in. Im on the left.

Did I leave anything out?

slow to vaccinate because we allowed all the countries being ravaged by covid to vaccinate first.

So very virtuous! I salute you!

Jacinda Ardern has worked this pandemic with precision, the “Vaxathon” event , its PR sorcery. divination, a media focused deflection.

They all have.

I spoke with a friend in NZ today. Hes dispairing, says the public is swept up in the “vaxathon” like its a religeous festival. He thinks NZ has one insane.

gone insane.

They’ll regret it.

Laggards with the vaccinations, good to see them get with the program. Freedom crushing lockdowns are not a good approach anymore, now that circumstances have changed so much since last year.

Boooo!!!!

let those who wish to be vaxxed… vaxxed stop forcing everyone else with threats of not opening the world!!

ludicrous!

NZ has made a major mess of things when it comes to the slow vaccine rollout, and Jacinda Ardern should resign given her abject incompetence. However this vaxathon was a good idea, and I am glad to see it has been a success.