More than 72% of Kiwi-Indians have been vaccinated in Auckland – higher than the overall average for NZ
Some 72.4% of the Indian community have had at least one dose and 40.5% have had two doses now in the Auckland metro area (which covers Auckland District Health Board (ADHB), The Counties Manukau District Health Board and Waitemata District Health Board) according to the latest statistics by Northern Region Health Coordination Centre. Overall for Auckland metro, 61.1% of the population have had at least one dose and 32.8% two doses.
Interestingly, this is above the average across New Zealand. 62% of the eligible population across New Zealand have got their first vaccine and 32% of the eligible population with two doses. In New Zealand, as of 6 September, 3,958,607 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered – 2,611,510 have had their first dose and 1,347,097 their second.
At least 84,616 Indian community members vaccinated had at least one dose and, in all, at least 131,029 doses have been administered across the Auckland metro area. Out of them, 52.5% have been given to males and 47.2% to females.
According to recent statistics, 28.7% of the Indian community members in Auckland, who have had their vaccination, are in the age group of 30-39 years followed by 19.1% in the age group of 20-29 years.
The recently held Indian community vaccination events have also helped boost numbers in the Indian community. About 250 members of Auckland's Indian community got their jabs at the Gurudwara in Takanini on Saturday night.
The clinic was organised by Unichem Pakuranga Pharmacy co-owner Vicky Chan and supported by the Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand. In an earlier event last week, 200 members of the Indian community had their Covid-19 vaccinations at Gurudwara in Takanini
"We aim to make the vaccine as accessible as possible to everyone,” Dr Mckree Jansen of Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) was quoted as saying.
Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand spokesperson Daljit Singh said, “Having vaccination events at the Sikh temple offered the opportunity for people to have their vaccination in a familiar, safe and friendly environment.
“Those who may have hesitated to get vaccinated elsewhere knew they would be comfortable here. It wasn’t only members of the Sikh community who turned up for vaccinations at these events. Members of other faiths were also in attendance.”
Chan said holding vaccination clinics at places like the Sikh Temple allowed people who don’t have English as a first language to access the vaccine in a place they can have information translated – and feel at ease.
Indian community members feel that the numbers in Auckland are good and the aim should be to have the percentage of Indian fully vaccinated to be even higher.
“Vaccination is the key in this Covid 19 global pandemic. As an Indian, I feel every Indian across New Zealand should try and get their vaccination done as soon as possible," says Swati Sharma, a Kiwi-Indian essential worker.
Another Kiwi-Indian, Ashi Sachdev said, "It is great that more than 70% of Indians in Auckland have had their first dose. It is encouraging, and as a community, we should try to be the first one to be 100 vaccinated."
