Taranaki continues to lag behind the rest of the country when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
Hundreds of people have begun arriving at a mass vaccination event for essential workers at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth this morning. The Taranaki DHB is hoping to give shots to almost 7000 people at clinics in New Plymouth and Hāwera over the weekend. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Nationwide about 45 percent of those aged over 12 have received a first jab, according to Ministry of Health vaccine rollout data, but in Taranaki little more than a third have.
That was despite the district hosting the first rural mass vaccination drive early this month.
Māori health providers have expressed concern about misinformation being disseminated on social media, negatively affecting vaccination rates.
Taranaki is also the worst performing district when it comes to fully vaccinating the population, with only 18 percent now inoculated.
Other areas lagging in fully vaccinating their populations were Wellington (19.7 percent), Canterbury (20.4 percent) and Waikato (21.4 percent), but unlike Taranaki, Wellington and Waikato were near the national average for first doses administered.
Nelson-Marlborough was leading the way in administering first doses and fully vaccinating residents. A third of the district had received two doses, while 57 percent had got their first shot.