7. Question No. 7—COVID-19 ResponseDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 7—COVID-19 Response7. Dr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What recent changes have been made to vaccination requirements in New Zealand?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Thank you Mr Speaker. From tomorrow young people aged 16 and 17 will be able to receive a free booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after completing their primary course. They'll be able to do so by visiting any walk-in vaccination clinic around the country. A booster dose is particularly recommended for 16- and 17-year-olds who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalisation and that includes those who are immunocompromised or who are living with a family member who is immunocompromised and our Māori and Pacific rangatahi.Dr Liz Craig: How many rangatahi will now be eligible for this booster and what assurance has he had on the safety of this decision?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I can advise that 36000 rangatahi aged between 16 and 17 years old will be eligible to receive a booster dose. Medsafe follows a very robust approvals process to ensure that all vaccines we use here in New Zealand meet acceptable standards for safety quality and efficacy. We know that immunity to the virus does wane over time so getting a booster is the best protection someone can have against COVID-19. It's also a reminder to any New Zealander who hasn't yet had their booster that even if they've already had COVID-19 getting a booster at least three months after they've tested positive for COVID-19 can help to reduce the risk of being re-infected and passing it on to others. It also reduces the chances of becoming very ill and ending up in hospital.Dr Liz Craig: What other recent changes have been made to vaccination requirements in New Zealand?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: From Monday New Zealanders no longer have to use a vaccine pass or a My Vaccine Pass. While vaccine passes have been extremely useful in helping us to get to high rates of vaccination and they were particularly useful in our fight against Delta with around 95 percent of our eligible population now at least double-vaccinated we don't need that tool any longer. Businesses that want to continue to use My Vaccine Pass however will be able to continue to do so but they'll need to have a justification for doing that taking into account the latest public health advice. Dr Liz Craig: What will these changes mean for Government mandates and what should employers do if these mandates no longer apply to them?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Government vaccine mandates for all sectors except for health and care workers prison workers and border workers have been removed. They remain for health and care workers and prison staff because they come into contact with a lot of people who are at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and of course our border workers because they are the first people who'd be likely to be exposed to any new variants of concern that emerge internationally. Employers who have had a Government mandate applying to their workforce should undertake or update a work health and safety risk assessment reflecting updated public health advice to determine what controls are appropriate for their workplaces.