‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala fakaTonga
Epidemiologist Michael Baker has urged eligible Kiwis to get the new bivalent Covid-19 booster to stay better protected from Omicron as New Zealand heads into winter.
The new booster is available from tomorrow for anyone aged 30 or over, and anyone at an increased risk of severe illness from Covid, provided it’s been six months since their last booster or positive test and they’ve completed their primary course (two doses).
It does not matter how many previous booster doses that person has had.
It has been available since March 1 for people aged 16 or over who hadn’t yet had their first booster, and for people at an increased risk of severe illness from Covid who have not yet had their first or second booster.
Baker told Breakfast “we’re entering our fourth wave of Covid-19 infection in New Zealand”.
“It’s a smaller wave than the previous three but… it’s the biggest infectious disease killer still in New Zealand,” he said.
“Technically it’s still a pandemic but it’s definitely not an emergency any more,” he added.
But with winter on the way, the new booster is a “welcome advance” in the battle against Omicron, he said.
“It’s got a second component that’s matched to the Omicron variant that’s circulating, so that gives much better protection and it produces a broader range of antibodies, it reduces your chance of getting seriously ill and dying from this infection,” Baker explained.
“A bit like the way the flu vaccine is revised every year or two to keep ahead of the range of flu viruses, this is doing the same thing, and I think we’re moving now to potentially having an annual Omicron injection just like with a flu vaccine.
“That just reflects the fact that we have what’s called waning immunity, so we need to boost that, and also the fact that the virus keeps evolving and we have to modify the vaccines to keep ahead of it.
“I just really hope that people will get this new booster now that it’s available.”
Asked what kind of uptake could be expected, Baker said that ideally 90% of eligible Kiwis would get the additional dose.
“We did very well with the primary course, that’s the two injections, so hopefully we can get there with the booster.”
It comes as this year’s flu vaccine is also available from tomorrow.
Flu vaccines are free for people most likely to get seriously ill. Anyone aged over six months can get one.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Kuo fakalotolahia āe he epitemolosisi ko Michael Baker āa e kau Kiwi kuo āatÄ ke nau huhu āi he huhu pusita foāou bivalent Covid-19 ke maluāi kinautolu mei he omikoloni āi he fakaofi mai ko eni āa e faāahi taāu momoko.
E āatÄ āa e pusita foāou ko eni āapongipongi kia kinautolu taāu 30 mo laka hake ha taha āoku āoku fakalalahi āene puke lahi mei he Koviti, koloa pe ke osi āa e mahina āe ono mei heāenau pusita fakamuimui, pe tesi positivi ka kuo fakakakato āa e ongo āuluaki huhu maluāi āe ua.
āE āikai lau ia pe ko e huhu pusita āe fiha āa e taha ko ia ki muāaā.
Naāe āatÄ āeni talu mei Maāasi ki he kakai taāu 16 pe laka hake ka ne teeki maāu āenau fuofua huhu pusitaaā, pea mo e kakai fakalalahi āenau puke he Koviti mo kinautolu teāeki fakahoko āenau pusita āuluaki pe ua.
Ne fakaha āe Baker ki he Breakfast kuo hu atu āeni āa Nuāu Sila ki he kau peau hono fa āo e Kovitiā.
Ko e kiāi kaupeau siāisiāi ia āi he peau āe tolu ki muāa … ko e mahaki pipihi tamate lahi taha āeni āoku kei Nuāu Sila.
I he lau fakatekinikale āoku kei panatemiki ka āoku āikai kei hoko ko ha fiemaāu fakavavevave, ko ene lau ia.
Ka āi he kei fononga mai āa e faāahi taāu momoko, kuo hoko āa e pusitaa ko hano talitali tomuāa ia āi hono tau’i āo e āomikoloniā.
Oku ne maāu āe ia āa e komiponeni hono ua āe lava ke ne fakafepakiāi āa e fotunga foāou e Omikoloni āoku kei filo holo, āa ia āoku lahi ange ai āa e maluāi lelei pea ne fakaai ha āenitipoti lahi ange, fakasiāisiāi hono faingamalie ki he puke lahi mo mate mei he pipihiā, ko Baker ia.
Oku mei hange pe ia ko e founga āoku toe fakafoāouāaki āa e huhu maluāi fuluuā he taāu taki taha pe taki taāu ua, ke tÅ muāa maāu pe teuteu ki he vailasi, pea āoku tatau pe ia mo āeni, pea oku ou tui āoku tau unu atu āen ke fakahoko ha huhu maluāi āomikoloni fakataāu tatau pe mo e fuluuā.
I hano āeke ki ha fakafuofua ki ha tokolahi o kinautolu āe maāu faingamalie ne pehe e Baker i he anga e fakakaukau e āi he peseti āe 90 o kinautolu kau Kiwi āatÄ ki ha toe huhu tanaki.
Hoko mai foki eni hili e mahino āe kamata āa pongipongi āa e āata āa e huhu maluāi fuluuā.
Oku taāetotongi pe āa e huhu maluāi fuluu ki he kakai ngalingali te nau puke lahi. Ko ha taha pe oku laka hake he mahina ono hono taāu āoku āatÄ.
