More than 100 applications for vaccine exemptions approved
New Zealand saw over 8,000 unvaccinated or partly vaccinated exempted from vaccine mandates to prevent critical gaps in healthcare systems, according to reports.
Radio New Zealand, reporting data it obtained from the government, revealed that there were 8,051 healthcare workers who were given permission to continue working despite not having or completing the COVID-19 vaccine series.
These employees were covered by 102 applications for exemption that were approved, which are approximately 20% of the 516 total applications lodged. They worked between October 2021 and September 2022.
According to the report, district health board employees made up more than 5,000 of those who got exempted from vaccine mandates. Other exempted individuals included:
The New Zealand government previously ordered those who work in the health sector to get their first COVID-19 jab by November 15, 2021, and to complete their dose by January 2022.
The mandate, however, did little to hike the vaccinations in the sector, according to a study.
Gail Pacheco, who co-authored the study, said almost 90% of healthcare workers were already fully vaccinated by the time the mandate was rolled out.
According to Pacheco, the mandate only negatively impacted the pay and career prospects of unvaccinated employees.
"The employment rate fell by 15% and earnings fell by 19% compared to vaccinated workers not subjected to the mandate," Pacheco told RNZ.
The data comes amid circulating misinformation on social media late last year, which claimed that there were "11,000 politicians and elites" who got exempted from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Te Whatu Ora later incorrectly verified that approximately 11,005 health workers were granted exemptions, before rectifying it to 8,051.
The reduction was because some Significant Service Disruption Exemption applications were counted twice after some businesses made multiple, sequential applications, according to Reuters Fact Check team.
The news outlet then tagged the social media posts as "misleading."
"Temporary vaccine exemptions covering 8,051 workers (previously incorrectly reported by New Zealand's public health agency as 11,005) applied only to health and disability sector workers so services could continue while they completed mandatory courses of COVID-19 vaccination," Reuters said.
