[ad_1]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that, contrary to previous plans, only pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech will be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country and that enough has been pre-contracted with manufacturers for the entire population.
It was previously planned to vaccinate with four different vaccines, but the government has decided that only this one will be used due to the high effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine. It is also fairer for the population and easier to carry out mass vaccinations with a single vaccine, he added.
According to the AP news agency, the fact that the national approval of certain vaccines is slow also influences the decision. So far, only Pfizer has been approved for pharmacovigilance, and two others are still under approval.
New Zealand has received ten million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is enough to vaccinate a population of five million at two doses per person. Most of that amount will reach the island nation in the second half of the year, Ardern said.
In New Zealand, a few thousand people have already been vaccinated, mostly those working in the healthcare sector and at border crossings. Already last year, the country managed to quickly stop and completely stop the epidemic, so mass vaccination is not as urgent as in other countries. However, by the end of the year, everyone is expected to get vaccinated twice.
In New Zealand, just over 2,000 people were registered and 26 patients died. (MTI)
[ad_2]
