I won and you lost.
https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/meta-programme-fact-checks/new-zealands-former-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-did-get
11,000 health workers exempt, not politicians or elites
After investigating the text in the image attached to the posts that “11,000 politicians and elites received an exemption for the Covid vaccination”, we came across an official letter from Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand.
Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand is the country’s public health agency.
The letter said that from 13 November 2021 to 26 September 2022, there were 478 applications for a significant service disruption (SSD) exemption.
In New Zealand, the SSD allowed an employer to request that an employee be exempt from vaccination if it was necessary to prevent significant disruption to services.
According to the letter, 103 applications for this exemption were granted, covering some 11,005 workers during this period. Te Whatu Ora said these workers were in "health-related work".
The 11,000 people who were exempted from the coronavirus vaccine were not politicians or elites, but health workers, and only for a limited time period.
Anti-vaxx claims on social media
Long-standing anti-vaccination claims are in abundance on social media, but the coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalisation and death.
Although the emergency phase of the Covid pandemic is over, it is still important for people to be vaccinated to protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of contracting new variants.
Coronavirus disinformation can cause readers to decide against vaccination generally. So pause before sharing social media posts and take the time to check and verify the facts. This can help you avoid being misled, or misleading others.
https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/false-11-000-new-zealand-vaccine-exemptions-granted-to-healthcare-workers-not-elites
In fact
During the COVID-19 pandemic, two vaccination exemptions were available to New Zealanders, Matt Hannant, director of planning, purchasing, and performance of New Zealand's National Public Health Service, told Logically Facts.
The Significant Service Disruption Exemption was available to essential healthcare service workers. The Temporary Medical Exemption was open to anyone aged 18 and over who could not receive vaccinations for clinical reasons. There were no special exemptions given to politicians or elites. All exemptions were temporary, with the Significant Service Disruption Exemption ranging from 7 days to 8 weeks and Temporary Medical Exemptions ranging from 3 to 6 months.
Of the 6,410 individual Temporary Medical Exemptions, 5,684 were granted to people with COVID-19 who couldn't be fully vaccinated until the recommended interval between illness and the COVID-19 vaccine.
The 11,000-figure central to claims on social media refers to the number of workers granted the Significant Service Disruption Exemption. This was only available to essential healthcare workers. It did not cover "politicians and elites," as posts claim.
Hammant confirmed that approximately 11,005 workers had been covered through the Significant Service Disruption Exemptions. The application process allowed one application to cover more than one worker. Applicants often made multiple applications in sequence, so affected workers were often listed in numerous applications. It is, therefore, possible that the number of individual workers granted the exemption is lower than 11,000.
85 of the 103 granted applications came from New Zealand's 20 District Health Boards. Until June 2022, they were the responsible bodies for ensuring the provision of health services. All boards applied for the Significant Service Disruption Exemption at least once. The exemption was introduced so essential health services could continue functioning while healthcare workers completed the mandated COVID-19 vaccine course.
Then-Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on June 18, 2021.
The verdict
The 11,000 figure refers to an approximate number of healthcare workers temporarily exempted from the vaccination mandate so New Zealand's essential health services could continue functioning. The exemption did not cover politicians and elites. It is possible that the exemption covered fewer than 11,000 individuals. Other exemptions were granted to people with COVID-19 who couldn't be fully vaccinated until the recommended interval between illness and the COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.
Hey Unknown have you been to the new Vikings Stadium?40
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