Health Department ready to administer COVID 19 Pfizer Vaccine starting with frontline staff and their families

The Niue health department are at the final stages of their preparation to roll out the Pfizer vaccine come first week of June.

Ms Grizelda Mokoia, Acting Director of Health who is also the Head of Niue public Health confirmed that their team at the Health Department will be administering the Pfizer vaccine.

She says that the staff this week completed their online training with the Immunisation Advisory Council of New Zealand and are ready to administer the vaccine.

They are also in the process of completing their accreditation on the freezer and freezing conditions for the storage of the vaccine which has specific ‘cold-chain requirements at certain temperatures’ as required by the manufacturer.

They are also building public awareness on TV, Radio and social media as well as attending village meetings. Their latest materials are produced in six different languages, Vagahau Niue, English, Samoan, Tongan, Tuvaluan and Fijian.

The actual start date for the vaccination programme has not been made public but Ms Mokoia says that if the vaccine arrives on a Tuesday flight, then they will begin vaccinations on Wednesday and run through Saturday.

The frontline staff who work at the borders and hospital staff and their families will be the first to be receive the vaccine.

“When you arrive, the staff will be checking your general health by checking your temperature, testing your blood pressure, your blood sugar and also specifically who are on cancer medications and blood thinning medications as precautionary measures”.

Ms Mokoia says that since the call for registrations to receive the vaccine went out on Sunday evening, they have been busy taking down names.

An estimated 1,200 people on the island within the age group of 16 years and older are eligible to take the vaccine.