The Government is to go ahead with issuing vaccination passes or certificates in New Zealand from next month.
These will be used to lessen the risk in high-risk settings like in hospitality and large gatherings, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.
Ardern was joined by Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay this afternoon to provide an update on the Delta outbreak, which has spread into parts of neighbouring region Waikato, and the introduction of vaccination certificates.
Vaccine certificates would not affect people's ability to go to essential services. The passes or certificates would be a physical document and something you can have on your phone. It will likely be able to be used in November, Ardern said.
Auckland remains at level 3 since the Delta outbreak began seven weeks ago and Waikato is in level 3 also from this week. The rest of the country remains at alert level 2.
There are 24 new community cases to report in New Zealand today, 18 in Auckland and six in Waikato.
Three of the Waikato cases were made public yesterday but are included in today's count. Seven cases have yet to be linked to existing cases but all Waikato cases are linked, McElnay said.
It is estimated there would be an additional 48 cases in the coming days because of the number of contacts to already confirmed cases.
Both Ardern and McElnay today reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated to help stop the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.
Ardern said with summer coming, people shouldn't put this off. "The best Christmas present is to bring forward your vaccination".
"It's one of the best ways we can ensure summer plans can go ahead uninterrupted. To enjoy the things you love, you need to be vaccinated this month, not in December."
Vaccine certificates would permit people to attend events, venues, and other activities to show they are vaccinated.
McElnay said Covid was becoming a "disease of the unvaccinated" across the globe.
How vaccine passes will work
Access to Covid vaccination records will be made accessible soon, as well as testing records, said Shayne Hunter the Deputy Director-General Data and Digital at the Ministry of Health.
In order to access this info, a person will need a MyHealth account or a RealMe account.
Once logged in, it will retrieve your data on vaccination. You will be able to view the detail behind it.
Links are provided to access a travel certificate and there is also a way to correct any errors in the data.
One of the other features is to get the NHI number in a scannable form which would speed up the testing process.
Hunter pointed to a picture which showed how the certificate can be used in a physical form and on a mobile device.
Asked why it wasn't incorporated into the current Covid tracer app, Hunter said privacy aspects did not allow it to be incorporated. However, he said people would be directed to their certificate from the tracer app via a link.
It would be a mobile site to start with and then, in January, it may move to an app.
Hunter said it was important to have the physical option for those who don't have access to a smartphone.
Ardern said they were looking for very easily accessible ways for people who don't have those technological resources to get their certificates.
