Six weeks after an audit found issues with Queenstown’s largest Covid vaccination centre, affecting 1571 people, it still can’t jab anyone again.
A Southern District Health Board audit found vaccines administered by Engage Safety, between December 1, last year, and January 28, weren’t stored at the correct ultra-cold temperatures.
As a result, their potency was in doubt, so everyone affected was asked to get re-jabbed.
The company, which had administered about 10,000 vaccines, stopped conducting vaccinations.
It’s now waiting for external reviewers to complete their work and make a recommendation to the Ministry of Health.
Engage Safety director Debbie Swain-Rewi says the reviewers spent three days at her clinic, two weeks ago.
She’s hoping to have an out come soon, but hasn’t any quibbles about the speed of the process.
‘‘Once the reviewers were appointed, they acted really quickly.’’
While she waits, as Covid rampages through the community, Swain-Rewi’s company also can’t administer the flu vaccine.
Reflecting on the crisis, which appeared to stem from a faulty fridge, she admits being ‘‘100% devastated, and also for the team, because they’d put their hearts and souls into it’’.
‘‘Apart from the people of course who were affected, my staff were my greatest concern — just how it would impact not so much their jobs, ’cos I never considered wanting to get rid of them or having to reduce their hours, but I was concerned about their mana,
how they would feel.’’
She stresses vaccinations are only one part of her health and safety business, while conceding ‘‘I’ve had to re-pivot and do things a little bit differently than how we’d like’’.
She adds ‘‘we’ve had nothing but support and respect from the community, which has been really overwhelming’’.
