Changes to the vaccination order
The following changes to the vaccination order to come into effect 11.59pm, 15 May 2022:
- New exemption process for mandated workers who test positive for COVID-19
- Expanded recognised list of COVID-19 booster vaccines
New exemption process for mandated workers who test positive for COVID-19
The Ministry of Health announced a new exemption process for mandated workers who test positive for COVID-19 to be exempt from being vaccinated or receiving their booster dose for a period of 100 days after the date they receive evidence of their positive test. These changes
This new process is for employers who have mandated workers who have recently recovered from or tested positive for COVID-19 and are therefore eligible for a temporary medical exemption.
The new process will be administered by the PCBU (employer) and the worker must provide evidence of their test result to their employer. The current medical advice is to wait three months before receiving your next COVID-19 vaccination (booster or second dose). This impacts some workers who are mandated or required to be vaccinated and boosted and are not able to meet these timeframes because they have had COVID-19.
The employer must recognise and administer their workers’ exemption from vaccination for 100 days on the verification of a positive COVID-19 test.
To verify a positive COVID-19 test, an employer can view:
- a screen shot of a My COVID Record that displays the PCR or uploaded Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) result,
- a hard copy of a laboratory report,
- or a text notification of the positive test result.
If you have further questions, please email them to HealthOrders@health.govt.nz.
Expanded list of recognised COVID-19 booster vaccines
Schedule 4 of the COVID-19 vaccinations order contains the latest recognised list of COVID-19 booster vaccines.