Pānui - 24 April 2024

World Immunisation Week, celebrated in the last week of April (24-30), aims to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. The theme this year is focussed on improving equitable access to immunisation for all children, regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic status.

This is an opportunity to recognise those people who have already been immunised and acknowledge the dedication and work led by vaccinators and the healthcare sector. Together we are working toward achieving our national health targets and protecting our tamariki from preventable diseases with 95% of children fully immunised at 24 months of age.

Immunisation is top of mind for us every week and there are several immunisation campaigns underway this month. We encourage you continue to use the available collateral to promote immunisation in your communities. If you would like to promote World Immunisation Week, we have some fun collateral you can use during the week including social tiles, email signature, screen saver and collateral which is available in 9 Pacific languages. You’ll find them in Dropbox: World Immunisation Week.

Changes to Novavax

Pharmac have advised that there are going to be changes to the availability of the Novavax Covid vaccine from May 2024. The current supply of this vaccine expires at the end of April 2024.  

Read more: COVID-19 vaccines - Pharmac | New Zealand Government 

The latest Novavax XBB vaccine application is currently being considered by Medsafe and the assessment is in its final stages. This means there will be no Novavax vaccine available from May 1 until the Novavax XBB vaccine is approved. 

Consumers are advised to speak to their healthcare provider about options or call the Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26. More information about the vaccine and eligibility can be found on our website COVID-19 vaccines additional doses (info.health.nz) 

We are working with IMAC to ensure the vaccinating workforce has the information they need and directly contacting people who have booked a Novavax vaccine after April 30 to discuss their options. 

There is plenty of Pfizer’s XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine (branded as Comirnaty) available in New Zealand. Pharmac and Health New Zealand want to make sure COVID-19 vaccines are available for New Zealanders and we will provide an update as soon as we can.

Covid winter campaign – text messages to consumers this week  

The Covid winter campaign is well underway with direct communications sent to eligible people aged 65 and over, to encourage them to have an additional dose if it’s been 6 months since they had their last Covid vaccine. 

Māori and Pacific people aged 50-64 and newly eligible people aged 65 and over will be receiving text messages this week to encourage them to book a Covid vaccine. For people who have recently received a Covid vaccine, we will contact them 6 months after their last vaccination date. 

Direct communications form the start of a broader national advertising campaign running from late April to September, with a focus on Māori and Pacific people aged 50 and over, and everyone aged 65 and over. 

A new Covid poster in both English and Te Reo Māori is now available in Dropbox – Covid poster or on HealthEd  Keep yourself protected against covid A3 poster - NIP8921 – HealthEd and COVID-19 Me tiaki i a koe anō i te kowheori - NIP8938 – HealthEd. 

Update to Covid vaccination resources 

The following Covid resources have been updated this month and are available to download from HealthEd. They are also available to order on Bluestar. 

What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccination - HP8590 – HealthEd 

 Key changes in this brochure include: 

• Highlighting the importance to consumers to keep up to date with their Covid vaccinations. 
• Stating that it’s safe to have the Covid vaccine at the same time as most other vaccines. 
• When reporting an immediate safety concern, consumers need to make sure they let emergency services (111) know that they have had a Covid vaccine recently so emergency services can assess the consumer’s situation properly. 

After the COVID-19 vaccination - HP8591 – HealthEd 

Key changes in this brochure include: 

• Information for consumers to let them know if they experience complications, which their doctor confirms are due to their Covid vaccination, they will be able to submit a claim to ACC. 
• When reporting an immediate safety concern, consumers need to make sure they let emergency services (111) know that they have had a Covid vaccine recently so emergency services can assess the consumer’s situation properly. 
• Making it a requirement for the vaccinator to fill in the vaccine administered in the ‘Your next vaccine is due’ highlighted box.  

Mental health and addiction - flu webinar Tuesday 7 May 2024

We invite you to the next hui in our flu webinar series on immunisations for mental health and addiction. We will have two guest speakers: Ruth Cunningham from Waitemata DHB will speak on Equally Well and the evidence for prioritising people with mental health and addiction conditions, and Hannah Komatsu from Te Pou Whakakaha Manatū Hauora will speak on Know me before you jab me.

Please copy and paste the following details into your diaries if you are attending:

Webinar: Flu immunisation: focussing on supporting increased uptake amongst people with mental health and addiction conditions

Date: Tuesday 7 May 2024

Time: 12.15 to 1.15pm

Meeting link: Join the meeting

As with our earlier flu webinars, the aim of this hui is to support kaimahi across the sector with a dedicated discussion session for this priority group as we work together to drive early vaccination by increasing awareness and building on community outreach efforts. The hui is open to all kaimahi – vaccinators, hauora providers, administrators, kaiāwhina and clinicians.

Please share this invitation with anyone who may be interested in attending and note the dates for the remaining hui below.  

If you missed our previous flu webinars, they are available here Dropbox: Flu 2024 webinar series.

Final flu webinar hui:

• Tuesday, 21 May 12.15 – 1.15pm – 65 and over - Join the meeting

Flu collateral reminder

Te Reo Māori and Pacific language A3 posters and A5 Flyers are now available as part of the wider Flu 2024 campaign collateral. These are available on Dropbox  or pre-printed copies can be ordered from Bluestar. Details of Dropbox and Bluestar are found at the end of this pānui. We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues or contacts.

Flu information on the info.health website offers translations in 5 key languages

The new Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora website info.health.nz  website has been updated to include translations in five key languages including Te Reo Māori, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) Hindi, and Japanese. It is also available in New Zealand Sign Language.

Dropbox downloadable collateral

Don’t forget all our immunisation collateral is available on Dropbox for health care providers to use when promoting vaccinations. Our Dropbox is currently experiencing overwhelming traffic. Due to this, you may not be able to access collateral like you normally have done before. If you are after Consent Forms and Fact Sheets for Influenza and Covid and can’t access Dropbox, please use the HealthEd links mentioned above.

Dropbox – National Immunisation Programme – vaccine resources.   

Collateral in HealthEd

Immunisation resources are also available from HealthEd. We have added some of our immunisation collateral to HealthEd under the vaccinations and immunisations topic. You can now download the resource PDF directly from the HealthEd website, and printed copies of some resources are available to order through Bluestar. If you don’t already have a Bluestar login account, please see below on how to sign up.

Collateral in Bluestar 

Printed copies of some resources can be ordered for free via the Bluestar portal. If you’re not already registered, you can register on the Bluestar portal. Below the login details, select ‘Need to Register?’. Complete the online registration form, include your clinic/practice/pharmacy name and your contact details. You will receive an email confirming your registration. Remember to click the button in the email to 'Activate' your registration.

To subscribe to our monthly Campaign Monitor newsletters, email us at immunisation@health.govt.nz and we'll put you on the list.