Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Councillor Daniel Newman is encouraging residents to keep responding to calls for more COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.
“We have seen testing numbers going up and it’s great to see Manurewa and Papakura residents stepping up as part of that."
He says with Manurewa identified as a suburb where more testing is needed, after unlinked positive cases in people who haven’t been at locations of interest, the community has rallied.
“The appeal went gone out and our Pasifika and Māori communities are responding. But we can still do more and anyone with concerns can raise them on the Pacific Healthline on 0800 21 12 21.”
He says breaking the Delta chain by staying at home is critical and being tested will increase confidence the outbreak is being eliminated.
“The other thing is vaccination. You can use the Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26, visit a drive-through such as Auckland Airport or Papakura Marae, or call your doctor.”
Newman says health officials and volunteers have done amazing work in the community, and residents can repay them by being tested and vaccinated. “That’s critical to ending lockdowns. Our choices will impact not only ourselves, but those around us.”
He says the vaccine allows our bodies to make a protein that triggers an immune response that creates the antibodies needed to protect against COVID-19.
“The more people vaccinated, the better protected we’ll all be. I’d urge people to think where we might be without vaccines. Polio, hepatitis, measles, smallpox would all be rife.
“Science has improved living standards for billions of people across the world and is providing the tools we need to succeed against COVID-19.
“We have to get to a point where we have enough of the population with the antibodies needed to fight COVID-19. And that means getting vaccinated.”
