Additional Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Bookings Now Available In Canterbury

Additional bookings for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine are now available through the BookMyVaccine website.

Novavax is currently available at the Barrington Vaccination Hub at Barrington Mall, Unichem Medical Corner in Rangiora, and the Māui Clinic at South City Mall (from March 20) to people aged 18 and older as a primary vaccination course.

The Canterbury District Health Board is reviewing demand for Novavax as vaccinations progress. If the demand remains high, we will add capacity across the region to ensure more people have access to Novavax.

“We are pleased to have a third COVID-19 vaccine option and would like to thank the team at the Barrington Vaccination Hub for their hard work delivering Novavax in Canterbury,” says Tracey Maisey, ECC Incident Controller for the Omicron response for Canterbury and the West Coast DHBs.

“It is great to see two more pharmacies offering the vaccine. Our primary care teams are working really hard to ensure that everyone gets vaccinated.”

Novavax requires two doses to be considered fully vaccinated. A three-week gap is recommended between the first and second dose. Novavax is not currently available as a booster dose. It can be given to people as a second dose, as long as it is at least 28 days since they received their first dose of another COVID-19 vaccine. However, a prescription is required from a GP if a person’s first dose was not Novavax – it’s free to get a Novavax vaccine prescription.

“I encourage anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated to consider Novavax, to protect themselves and our community,” says Ms Maisey.

As more clinics gear up to offer Novavax, their details will be added to https://vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz/.

Further information:

• Novavax contains a non-infectious component found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which induces a protective immune response when the body’s immune cells encounter it.
• There is currently insufficient data on the Novavax vaccine to recommend it during pregnancy. Pfizer remains the preferred vaccine option for this group.
• More information can be found on the Ministry of Health website: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-getting-novavax

There is a waitlist for appointments which is managed through CANVAX. If you cannot find a suitable appointment, please contact 0800 226 829.

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