msconduct: (Default)
msconduct ([personal profile] msconduct) wrote2021-12-16 01:03 pm

A Milestone

New Zealand is celebrating reaching an important goal today: of our eligible population (currently 12+), pretty much 90% are now double-dose vaccinated.

This doesn't mean we're out of the woods, obviously. The average hides worrying figures. While my area, central Auckland, is almost 95% fully vaxxed, there are lots of less populated areas of New Zealand whose rates are lower (the lowest being 81%). And once Omicron gets here, which it inevitably will, as we know two doses are far from enough protection.

Nevertheless, I'm taking a moment for a small cheer. When the government set a vaccination goal of at least 90%, many people thought we'd never reach it. We've already seen the benefit, as our Delta numbers didn't rise as high and have fallen faster than the modelling suggested. Sorry, antivaxxers: vaccines work.

Edited to amend the last sentence, which doesn't convey our Covid response accurately: vaccines, lockdowns, Covid testing, contract tracing, genetic sequencing, wastewater testing, masking, social distancing, restricted borders, border quarantine, self-isolation and just generally following the bloody science work.